The US space and space agency (NASA) has released a series of rare images of the central Milky Way, which could help scientists learn more about a supermassive black hole in the core. of this galaxy.

These ' never-before-seen ' images were recorded using SOFIA - a modified Boeing 747SP aircraft with a 106-inch telescope. Combining data from SOFIA and data from other telescope devices gives a composite image of the central Milky Way.

'It's amazing to see the Milky Way core so detailed that we've never seen it before , ' says James Radomski - a scientist working on the SOFIA project at NASA's Ames Research Center - Learning about this field is like completing a picture with puzzles. The recorded SOFIA data can fill a number of gaps, bringing us closer to the more complete picture. '

'The images can help researchers better understand the formation of the Milky Way, thereby helping us learn more about galaxies farther away, ' explains Matthew Hankins, a scholar at the California Institute of Technology. .

NASA publishes unprecedented images of the Milky Way's 'core' images 1
Rare images of the Milky Way center.

Based on the new image, scientists also have the opportunity to study more about the supermassive black hole - a mysterious 10-light-year circle surrounding the giant void in the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

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