Post by Chicago Astronomer - Astro Joe on Jan 21, 2007 22:35:57 GMT -6
In-Depth look at the Center of the Galaxy
The Galactic Center region harbors a variety of potential sources of high-energy radiation, such as the supermassive black hole Sgr A* and a number of supernova remnants, among them the Sgr A East remnant of a giant supernova explosion which happened about 10000 years ago .
Particles of the mysterious dark matter, which accumulate at the Galactic Center and which undergo pair annihilation provide another speculative mechanism for gamma ray production. The Galactic Center was therefore a prime target for observations with Cherenkov telescopes, and detection of high-energy (TeV) gamma rays was reported by the CANGAROO instrument, by the VERITAS group and by the H.E.S.S. collaboration.
Source: www.mpi-hd.mpg.de/hfm/HESS/public/som/Som_12_04.htm
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