ABSTRACT

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ABSTRACT: Recent high spatial resolution, near-infrared imaging and spectroscopy have made it possible in the last few years to measure stellar velocities down to separations of less than five light days from the compact radio source SgrA* at the dynamic center of the Milky Way. These measurements make a compelling case for the presence of a compact, central dark mass of 2.6*10⁶ solar masses. Simple physical considerations show that this dark mass cannot consist of a stable cluster of stars, stellar remnants, substellar condensations or a degenerate gas of elementary particles. Energy equipartition requires that at least 10⁵ solar masses must be associated with SgrA* itself and is enclosed within less than 8 light minutes - equivalent to 15 Schwarzschild radii of a million solar mass black hole.