# First Sagittarius A* Event Horizon Telescope Results. I. The Shadow of the Supermassive Black Hole in the Center of the Milky Way

### Abstract

We present the first Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) observations of Sagittarius A$^\ast$ (Sgr A$^\ast$), the Galactic center source associated with a supermassive black hole. These observations were conducted in 2017 using a global interferometric array of eight telescopes operating at a wavelength of $\lambda = 1.3 \mathrm{mm}$. The EHT data resolve a compact emission region with intrahour variability. A variety of imaging and modeling analyses all support an image that is dominated by a bright, thick ring with a diameter of $51.8 \pm 2.3 \mu\mathrm{as}$ (68% credible interval). The ring has modest azimuthal brightness asymmetry and a comparatively dim interior. Using a large suite of numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the EHT images of Sgr A$^\ast$ are consistent with the expected appearance of a Kerr black hole with mass $\sim 4 \times 10^6 M_\odot$, which is inferred to exist at this location based on previous infrared observations of individual stellar orbits, as well as maser proper-motion studies. Our model comparisons disfavor scenarios where the black hole is viewed at high inclination ($i > 50^\circ$), as well as nonspinning black holes and those with retrograde accretion disks. Our results provide direct evidence for the presence of a supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, and for the first time we connect the predictions from dynamical measurements of stellar orbits on scales of $10^3–10^5$ gravitational radii to event-horizon-scale images and variability. Furthermore, a comparison with the EHT results for the supermassive black hole M87$^\ast$ shows consistency with the predictions of general relativity spanning over three orders of magnitude in central mass.

Publication
The Astrophysical Journal Letters