Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why is Sagittarius A* a strong source of radio waves?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Sagittarius A* is a strong source of radio waves primarily due to a synchrotron mechanism. This process occurs when free electrons are accelerated to speeds near that of light while spiraling within magnetic fields.12

The presence of this radiation indicates that these high-energy particles and magnetic fields are prevalent in the region surrounding the black hole at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. This mechanism is a common source of nonthermal radio emission in various astronomical objects, including pulsars, supernova remnants, and active galactic nuclei.123