What is the estimated mass of the supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* ($ ext{Sgr A}^*$)?

Answer

About $4.1$ to $4.5$ million times the mass of our Sun

The central supermassive black hole, identified as Sagittarius A* ($ ext{Sgr A}^*$), has an estimated mass falling within the range of $4.1$ to $4.5$ million times the mass of our Sun. While this mass is colossal on a stellar scale, it is relatively insignificant when compared to the total mass of the entire Milky Way, which is dominated by dark matter. This localized gravitational anchor dictates the orbits of stars in the immediate vicinity of the core. However, if $ ext{Sgr A}^*$ were to disappear, the orbital paths of the vast majority of stars further out would remain almost entirely unchanged because the large-scale cohesion is maintained by the distributed mass of the dark matter halo.

$What is the estimated mass of the supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* ($ ext{Sgr A}^*$)?$

Related Questions

What fundamental interaction keeps the Milky Way from flying apart due to centrifugal force?What is the approximate escape velocity at the Sun’s position within the Milky Way disk?How is the Milky Way classified architecturally among other galaxies?What dynamic role do the spiral arms play regarding gas clouds in the disk?What phenomenon invalidates the idea that visible matter alone holds the Milky Way together?Where is the massive, invisible component known as dark matter primarily distributed?What is the estimated mass of the supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* ($ ext{Sgr A}^*$)?What role does the central bar structure play in organizing gas flow within the galaxy?What is the approximate duration of a galactic year for a typical star in the disk?What happens to gas clouds when they slow down in the denser regions formed by spiral arms?

galaxy gravity star mass Milky Way