The Milky Way’s supermassive black hole reached record brightness this year

The behemoth at the center of the galaxy flared up in near-infrared wavelengths

black hole illustration

The Milky Way’s central black hole recently got brighter. That could be the result of a star (illustrated in blue) that neared the black hole in 2018.

Nicolle Fuller/NSF

For the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole, it’s glow time.