Camara — The black hole at the center of the Milky Way will reactivate due to a top-tier collision | La Derecha Diario

NASA warns that the Milky Way's black hole could 'wake up'

Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, could become active again after a cosmic collision, according to NASA

05/09/2025 09:49:00h

Editorial Team

The supermassive black holeSagittarius A*, located at the center of the Milky Way, remained calm for thousands of years. However, an international team of astronomers has confirmed that it could re-enter a phase of great activity.

According to NASA, this "awakening" will occur when the galaxy collides with the Large Magellanic Cloud. Although it may sound unsettling, experts emphasize that it doesn't pose a direct risk to our planet.

Illustration of a black hole in space with a bright disk of light around it

According to NASA, this "awakening" will occur when the galaxy collides with the Large Magellanic Cloud | La Derecha Diario

**What Sagittarius A* is and where it is located**

Sagittarius A* is the closest black hole to Earth, located more than 25,000 light-years away, with a mass equivalent to about four million suns. It is in the constellation Sagittarius and is considered the "heart" of the Milky Way.

The Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia explains that its emission is weaker than that of other black holes and that it converts matter into energy on a much smaller scale. In 2020, researchers Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel, and Andrea Ghez received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their studies on this cosmic colossus.

What will happen when it "awakens"

When a black hole becomes active, it begins to devour gas and dust, generating an accretion disk that reaches temperatures of millions of degrees. This releases radiation in multiple wavelengths: visible, ultraviolet, infrared, and X-ray.

Illustration of a galaxy with a supermassive black hole at its center emitting jets of energy, surrounded by dust and stars in deep space

When a black hole becomes active, it starts to devour gas and dust | La Derecha Diario

In addition, many active black holes emit true "cosmic cannons" of energy that extend thousands of light-years. According to astrophysicist Nathalie Degenaar from the University of Amsterdam, that radiation can be observed in different light spectra.

The collision with the Large Magellanic Cloud

The "awakening" of Sagittarius A* will occur when the Large Magellanic Cloud sends large amounts of gas toward the center of the galaxy. That process will transform the black hole into an active top-tier nucleus (AGN).

Cluster of stars and interstellar dust in deep space

The collision with the Large Magellanic Cloud | La Derecha Diario

Professor Carlos Frenk from Durham University clarified that this phenomenon will not be powerful enough to harm life on Earth. In fact, the atmosphere, the magnetic field, and the top-tier gas itself act as natural shields.

**This is not the first time Sagittarius A* has become active**

Observations from NASA's IXPE telescope revealed that 200 years ago Sagittarius A* recorded a minor eruption. Further back in time, it may even have originated the so-called "Fermi Bubbles."

This future awakening will not mark the end of life on Earth, but rather a new chapter in the cosmic history of the Milky Way. As Frenk pointed out, "the growth of galaxies is deeply linked to that of their central black holes."

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