Editor’s note: An additional clarification has been edited in from the author in response to a follow-up question post-publication.
How far from Earth would a telescope have to be to capture a direct view of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way, unimpeded by dust clouds?
Dan Nicolaescu
Clifton Park, New York
At the center of our galaxy sits a supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A* for short. This black hole was first discovered in 1974 as a pointlike rad