Webb Reveals Dust and Water Surviving Near Milky Way's Central Black Hole

Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to the supermassive black hole at the center of our Milky Way galaxy, Sagittarius A*. Observations of the evolved star IRS 3, located just 0.55 light-years from Sagittarius A*, show it continues to enrich its surroundings with oxygen-rich dust and water, challenging previous assumptions about material production in such extreme environments.