NASA's Chandra discovers possible supernova remnant in galactic center

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   NASA’s Chandra spots possible ancient supernova near Milky Way’s black hole

   Astronomers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory have identified a potential supernova remnant near the galactic center, close to the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole. The object appears to be expanding at 2 million miles per hour and may be 1,700 years old. Confirmation would make it one of the closest such remnants to the black hole. Multiple sources report the discovery but emphasize uncertainty pending further study.

   What's confirmed:

   • NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory detected a potential supernova remnant in the galactic center, near the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole.
   • The object appears to be located in Sagittarius C, a region densely packed with massive stars, magnetic fields, and gas clouds.
   • If confirmed, this would be one of the closest supernova remnants ever discovered to the galactic center’s black hole.
   • The remnant is estimated to be 1,700 years old and expanding at 2 million miles per hour.
   • The discovery was published in *The Astrophysical Journal* and involves data from Chandra and XMM-Newton telescopes.

   Still unconfirmed:

   • A bright X-ray-emitting ‘spot’ near the galactic center may have been forged by a supernova, though this remains unconfirmed.
   • The remnant could reveal an ancient stellar explosion hidden near the Milky Way’s core, but no direct spectroscopic confirmation exists yet.
   confidence 85%