1a. Milky Way Galaxy Black Hole Circumnuclear Ring - SOFIA

SOFIA/FORCAST mid-infrared image of the Milky Way Galaxy’s nucleus showing the Circumnuclear Ring (CNR) of gas and dust clouds orbiting a central supermassive black hole. The bright Y-shaped feature is believed to be material falling from the ring toward the black hole that is located where the arms of the “Y” intersect. NASA/SOFIA/FORCAST team/Lau et al. 2013