<p>You may like this youtube video: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duoHtJpo4GY" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duoHtJpo4GY</a></p>

<p>A detailed explanation can be found in Wikipedia: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittarius_A" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittarius_A</a>*</p>

<p>It's not the Oort clouds, neither stars nor planets, that make the center of the Milky Way invisible. It's 25 magnitudes of extinction by interstellar dust.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-06T03:39:10.800Z
2014-01-06T03:39:10.800Z
Gerald
<p>The main reason we don't see the bright center of our galaxy, which is composed of millions of stars, is <strong>dust</strong>. Visible light is absorbed and scattered by interstellar dust, but that doesn't mean we can't see it on other waves of the spectrum, for example, infrared light doesn't suffer as much because of the dust.</p>

<p>Notice on this image how bright the galaxy center looks on the infrared and the near-infrared pictures!:</p>

<p><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/FrTOc.jpg" alt="Milky Way galaxy at different wavelengths"></p>

<p>Image taken from the <a href="http://mwmw.gsfc.nasa.gov/mmw_product.html#slides" rel="noreferrer">MultiwaveLength Milky Way website</a> of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-06T14:39:04.403Z
But why it is not, because the possibility it is a black hole ?
Ahmed Hamdy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-06T15:09:14.953Z
@Ahmed Hamdy Excuse me if I don't understand but, why is it not what?
Eduardo Serra
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-06T15:28:00.283Z
I meant, it might be because of the possibility of a black hole in the center of Galaxy?
Ahmed Hamdy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-06T15:51:22.167Z
@Ahmed Hamdy Yes, but my question is **What** might be because of the possibility? Are you saying that we don't see light because there's a black hole in the center? If that is the case, then no, it's not because of the black hole. The center of the milky way has a high density of stars, so it should be bright even if there was no black hole. Interstellar dust is what prevent us to see a bright center, regardless of the existence of a supermassive black hole in Sagittarius A*
Eduardo Serra
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-06T15:54:30.400Z
yes that is what I mean, I read about that before, but you saying there is no black hole in the center because of the density!... This is really interesting, I need to know more about that?
Ahmed Hamdy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-06T15:58:43.360Z
@Ahmed Hamdy I'm not saying there's not a black hole, actually the existence of a supermassive black hole is almost certain. What I'm saying is that this black hole has nothing to do with the fact that we don't see the brightness of the center of our galaxy. [Read this article by Cornell University's astronomy department](http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=484) to learn more about the balck hole in question and the effect it causes around it.
Eduardo Serra
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-06T16:05:11.223Z
You are really helpful :) Thanks very much, I will read it and contact you if it is not disturbing you :)
Ahmed Hamdy
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-06T16:58:18.207Z
@Ahmed Hamdy Of course it's not disturbing me, but if you'd like you could always post you own questions and that way you'd receive answers from many others and not just me while also helping to grow the community
Eduardo Serra
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-01-04T15:08:59.273Z
2014-01-04T16:29:01.047Z
2014-01-04T16:29:01.047Z
Eduardo Serra
<p>When we look at the sky, and see the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way" rel="noreferrer">Milky Way</a>, we mainly see a band, with no real center.</p>

<p>On a more accurate picture we can guess the center of the galaxy (see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File%3aMilky_Way_Arch.jpg" rel="noreferrer">this picture</a>), but we still don't see the center as some kind of big bright "star", like on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File%3aNGC_4414_%28NASA-med%29.jpg" rel="noreferrer">this picture</a>.</p>

<p>I know there is a lot of objects (stars, planets and dust) between us and the center of the galaxy. But stars are bright and they shouldn't "hide" the galaxy center's light since they shine too.</p>

<p>Why don't we see the galaxy center as a "night sun"?</p>

<p>How much dust is there so it's blocking the galaxy center's light?</p>

<p>Is it because of all <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oort_cloud" rel="noreferrer">Oort clouds</a> of all solar systems that we don't see the galaxy center clearly?</p>

<milky-way><galaxy-center>
Why don't we see the galaxy center?
Thibault
# Why don't we see the galaxy center?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-01-04)

When we look at the sky, and see the [Milky Way](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milky_Way), we mainly see a band, with no real center.

On a more accurate picture we can guess the center of the galaxy (see [this picture](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File%3aMilky_Way_Arch.jpg)), but we still don't see the center as some kind of big bright "star", like on [this picture](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File%3aNGC_4414_%28NASA-med%29.jpg).

I know there is a lot of objects (stars, planets and dust) between us and the center of the galaxy. But stars are bright and they shouldn't "hide" the galaxy center's light since they shine too.

Why don't we see the galaxy center as a "night sun"?

How much dust is there so it's blocking the galaxy center's light?

Is it because of all [Oort clouds](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oort_cloud) of all solar systems that we don't see the galaxy center clearly?

**Tags:** milky-way, galaxy-center


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## 2 answers

### Answer by username_2 on 2014-01-04. Score: 20 | Accepted answer

The main reason we don't see the bright center of our galaxy, which is composed of millions of stars, is **dust**. Visible light is absorbed and scattered by interstellar dust, but that doesn't mean we can't see it on other waves of the spectrum, for example, infrared light doesn't suffer as much because of the dust.

Notice on this image how bright the galaxy center looks on the infrared and the near-infrared pictures!:

![Milky Way galaxy at different wavelengths](https://i.sstatic.net/FrTOc.jpg)

Image taken from the [MultiwaveLength Milky Way website](http://mwmw.gsfc.nasa.gov/mmw_product.html#slides) of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center.

> **Comments:**
> **username_3**: But why it is not, because the possibility it is a black hole ?  
> **username_2**: @username_3 Excuse me if I don't understand but, why is it not what?  
> **username_3**: I meant, it might be because of the possibility of a black hole in the center of Galaxy?  
> **username_2**: @username_3 Yes, but my question is **What** might be because of the possibility? Are you saying that we don't see light because there's a black hole in the center? If that is the case, then no, it's not because of the black hole. The center of the milky way has a high density of stars, so it should be bright even if there was no black hole. Interstellar dust is what prevent us to see a bright center, regardless of the existence of a supermassive black hole in Sagittarius A*  
> **username_3**: yes that is what I mean, I read about that before, but you saying there is no black hole in the center because of the density!... This is really interesting, I need to know more about that?  
> **username_2**: @username_3 I'm not saying there's not a black hole, actually the existence of a supermassive black hole is almost certain. What I'm saying is that this black hole has nothing to do with the fact that we don't see the brightness of the center of our galaxy. [Read this article by Cornell University's astronomy department](http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=484) to learn more about the balck hole in question and the effect it causes around it.  
> **username_3**: You are really helpful :) Thanks very much, I will read it and contact you if it is not disturbing you :)  
> **username_2**: @username_3 Of course it's not disturbing me, but if you'd like you could always post you own questions and that way you'd receive answers from many others and not just me while also helping to grow the community  

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### Answer by username_1 on 2014-01-06. Score: 1

You may like this youtube video: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=duoHtJpo4GY>

A detailed explanation can be found in Wikipedia: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagittarius_A>\*

It's not the Oort clouds, neither stars nor planets, that make the center of the Milky Way invisible. It's 25 magnitudes of extinction by interstellar dust.


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