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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

New observations using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) reveal a "unique" ongoing, rapid-fire light show at the center of our galaxy.