Astronomers, using artificial intelligence (AI), have made a significant discovery about Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Research published in the journal *Astronomy & Astrophysics* on June 6, 2025, reveals that Sgr A* is spinning at a rate very close to its theoretical maximum speed.
This finding was achieved by training a neural network with millions of simulated black hole datasets. The AI analysis indicates that the emissions around Sgr A* are primarily due to extremely hot electrons, rather than jets, and that the magnetic fields behave unexpectedly. These results provide new insights into the behavior of black holes, challenging existing theories about accretion disks.
The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is planning further observations of Sgr A*, with expansions to enable high-fidelity movies of Sgr A* and observe similar polarization features in other black holes. This research was presented in three papers by the EHT Collaboration published in the journal *Astronomy & Astrophysics* on June 6, 2025.