Free Astronomy Magazine November-December 2022

31 was spotted by NASA’s C h a n d r a Space Tele- scope. These kinds of flares, previ- ously observed with X-ray and infrared tele- scopes, are thought to be as- sociated with so- called ‘hot spots’, hot gas bubbles that orbit very fast and close to the black hole. “What is really new and interesting is that such flares were so far only clearly present in X-ray and infrared observations of Sagittarius A*. Here we see for the first time a very strong indication that orbiting hot spots are also present in radio obser- vations,” says Wielgus, who is also affiliated with the Nicolaus Coperni- cus Astronomical Centre, Poland and