They've been reformatted according to suggestions many of you submitted in our recent reader survey. You'll notice the most change near the edges of the charts. We hope the changes improve the way you use them. Either way, please let us know. The Milky Way's Dark Heart One area of distortion in the sky that we can't do anything about is the black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
New research seems to confirm what astronomers have suspected for years.
The researchers measured the unusually high velocities of stars near the galactic center. Only a massive black hole could exert the gravitational influence that causes these stars to behave so strangely, executive editor Damond Benningfield explains. Read archived news from StarDate magazine in the Resources section. Every issue of StarDate also includes monthly star charts and stargazing highlights, plus stunning astronomical images. Subscribe online today or send your order by phone or mail .