If you want to stay grounded, if you want to be reminded of your own small size and mortality, I have the tools for you.meet galactic compass: An app that directs users to Sagittarius A*, the giant black hole at the center of the galaxy.
If you're reading this article, you're hurtling through space on a wobbling, spinning sphere revolving around a ball of hot gas at the center of our solar system. But if you zoom further afield, our solar system is just a tiny spot on the edge of the Milky Way. The Milky Way Galaxy is a giant galaxy with a mass of 4.6 billion solar masses at its center and a width of 100,000 light years.
![The supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* is located at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.](https://i.kinja-img.com/image/upload /c_fit,q_60,w_645/727b919b116ffaeba5fa1be165644f0a.jpg)
It's surprisingly easy to forget about the giant giant at the center of our galaxy named Sagittarius A* (pronounced „A-star“). Like all black holes, Sagittarius A* does not emit light. but, It's bright right next to it; Black holes emit large amounts of X-rays and radio waves while attracting superheated matter.
The app was developed by Matt Webb (no relation to the space telescope) and was released on the App Store last month. Webb created the app using ChatGPT and the development tool Xcode, even though he didn't know Swift, the language used to code iOS apps. You can read a complete breakdown of how Webb created the app on the hid blog. interconnection.
„A long time ago, I trained myself to always know where to look, and the center of the galaxy naturally moves throughout the day and year,“ Webb wrote. „So I end up pointing down the sidewalk or down the street and thinking, 'Oh, there it is.'“
The app's simple interface consists of a bright green arrow on a white background, allowing you to point to the center of the galaxy regardless of your phone's orientation. Before you ask, there is a dark mode.
Of course, the black hole itself does not allow light to escape its event horizon, leaving the Milky Way's center pitch black. Nevertheless, the telescope (i.e. the Event Horizon Telescope) Can image the shadow of a black hole and a high-energy region surrounding it.
Galaxy Compass is useful for locating the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, but other stargazing apps like Sky Guide and Night Sky offer similar functionality. And even if your favorite app doesn't specifically mention Sagittarius A* in its catalog, it might have a Sagittarius in it.This constellation The key to finding the approximate location of Sagittarius A*, near the border of Sagittarius and Scorpio.More specifically, it's located here Between the tail of Scorpio and the teapot of Sagittarius. Identifying this region allows us to pinpoint regions of the sky where supermassive black holes reside, even though they cannot be seen with the naked eye.
Galactic Compass is fun exploration Features of ChatGPTit helps to maintain. global Enjoy a galactic perspective as you travel through the world.
more: Figure out how big a black hole is with this new NASA animation