Astronomers have spotted displays of flashing lights and “fireworks” near a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, a finding researchers said could reveal details about how black holes—among the most mysterious objects in space—behave and interact with their environment.

Observations revealed ongoing fireworks featuring short bursts and longer flares. Imagine solar flares, but magnified to an unimaginable scale — a continuous sparkle bright enough to shine across 26,000 light-years of space.

The James Webb Space Telescope has shown that the Milky Way’s black hole is constantly blazing with light, releasing long flares as well as short flashes every day.

Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, Northwestern astrophysicists gained the longest, most detailed glimpse yet of the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

Between spotting galaxies that shouldn't exist, capturing the interstellar medium with unprecedented clarity, and identifying new worlds, the James Webb Space Telescope is a busy observatory. But as it orbits the Sun,

Astronomer Yusef-Zadeh explained that flares are expected in all supermassive black holes, but Sagittarius A is unique. Unlike others, it is constantly active and never settles into a steady state. Observations made throughout 2023 and 2024 revealed changes every time, with each viewing showing something new.

NASA's flagship space telescope captured flares from the disk of superheated material around the black hole, revealing the dynamic—and explosive—physics at our galaxy's core.

Although black holes are invisible, astronomers say flares were seen coming from a swirling disc of hot gas and dust just beyond the black hole’s horizon.

The supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, the Milky Way, while not as "voracious" as others known on the outskirts of the universe, is surrounded by spectacular "fireworks," new data from the Webb Space Telescope reveals.