The Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way

Book excerpt: Reviewing the fundamental instrumental techniques and current observational results, this book unveils the mysteries of the physical processes in the central parsec of our Milky Way: the super-massive black hole embedded in a central stellar cluster as well as the gas and dust in the circumnuclear region. The observations described cover the entire electromagnetic spectrum from decimeter radio-waves to high energy X-ray and ?-rays, and a comprehensive summary of up-to-date astrophysical interpretations is given. The emphasis is put on observational techniques, image processing aspects, and a detailed presentation of the most cutting-edge work carried out in the near-infrared wavelength regime. These recent results include both the first orbits of stars around the central black hole and the multiwavelength variability of the central source.