The Galaxy's Core Is About to Explode - Popular Mechanics
This is seriously cool stuff.
Astronomers have detected a blob of gas, called G2, that's being ripped apart as it plunges toward the black hole. Later this year the hole will start to consume that cloud of gas. As the gas accelerates to terrific speeds, it collides with other incoming matter, heats up, and radiates energy at a ferocious rate. A similar flare-up 100 years ago created a burst of light as bright as a million suns; we know because the light echoes are still bouncing around the center of the galaxy. According to radio astronomer Shep Doeleman, the upcoming annihilation event could last for a year or more and rank as "a once-in-a-lifetime event."
Unfortunately, you can't see it.
Huge as it is, the central black hole is still a thousand times too small to be seen with the Hubble Space Telescope. Plus, it's obscured by interstellar dust that blocks all visible light. But radio waves of about 1 millimeter wavelength can get through.
We should get some neat false color images (like the one above), but I really wish I could see real, visible light images. Oh well.
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