What if the heart of our galaxy is actually a clump of dark matter?

Space · Published 23 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: For decades, physicists have been certain that Sagittarius A* is a supermassive black hole. We have even used planet-sized telescopes to image it. However, a new theory suggests this central object might be something far stranger: a dense collection of exotic dark matter.

At the center of the Milky Way lies Sagittarius A*, a supermassive object that has long been identified as a black hole. Scientists have studied its gravitational effects and utilized the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) Collaboration to capture images in polarised light. Yet, a new hypothesis is challenging this long-held consensus, proposing that the object might not be a black hole at all.

The alternative theory suggests that Sagittarius A*, along with other black holes of a similar scale, could actually be composed of clumps of an exotic type of dark matter. Although roughly 85 per cent of all cosmic matter consists of dark matter, its basic properties are still unknown. We understand that it does not interact with light or regular matter except through gravity, and we can observe its presence in the way galaxies rotate within their surrounding halos.

Despite the intrigue of this idea, the scientific community remains cautious. Many cosmologists are leery of the suggestion, as the behavior of dark matter at the very center of galaxies is still unknown. While we can observe dark matter at the outskirts of galaxies, researchers like Valentina Crespi from the National University of La Plata (UNLP) note that we lack clarity on what occurs at the galactic core. If true, this shift in perspective would fundamentally rewrite our understanding of galactic evolution and the nature of the universe's most mysterious mass.

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