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Galactic Center
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<a href="/facts/Celestial_coordinate_system/23HhqvHj">Coordinates</a>: <a href="http://www.wikisky.org/?ra=17.761122222222&de=-29.007805555556&zoom=5&show_grid=1&show_constellation_lines=1&show_constellation_boundaries=1&show_const_names=1&show_galaxies=1&img_source=IMG_all">17h 45m 40.04s, −29° 00′ 28.1″</a> <p>The Galactic Center is the <a href="/facts/Barycenter/Fw9renao">barycenter</a> of the <a href="/facts/Milky_Way/ulF6lccN">Milky Way</a> and a corresponding point on the <a href="/facts/Rotational_axis/PGcg3IY5">rotational axis</a> of the galaxy. Its <a href="/facts/Central_massive_object/bkNq2nzR">central massive object</a> is a <a href="/facts/Supermassive_black_hole/BcuTx8Q5">supermassive black hole</a> of about 4 million <a href="/facts/Solar_mass/j6Auhku8">solar masses</a>, which is called <a href="/facts/Sagittarius_A*/5TWIRfgm">Sagittarius A*</a>, a compact <a href="/facts/Astronomical_radio_source/FEJFMcI8">radio source</a> which is almost exactly at the galactic rotational center. The Galactic Center is approximately 8 kiloparsecs (26,000 ly) away from Earth in the direction of the <a href="/facts/Constellation/nBQqgW8A">constellations</a> <a href="/facts/Sagittarius_(constellation)/ljtU4DQ2">Sagittarius</a>, <a href="/facts/Ophiuchus/8hQ48ttM">Ophiuchus</a>, and <a href="/facts/Scorpius/ddxFGlK0">Scorpius</a>, where the Milky Way appears brightest, visually close to the <a href="/facts/Butterfly_Cluster/YvJhWWDS">Butterfly Cluster</a> (M6) or the star <a href="/facts/Shaula/aDM1EGFX">Shaula</a>, south to the <a href="/facts/Pipe_Nebula/NXknTpR3">Pipe Nebula</a>. </p><p>There are around 10 million <a href="/facts/Star/PFbd6ICx">stars</a> within one <a href="/facts/Parsec/SwSsk57J">parsec</a> of the Galactic Center, dominated by <a href="/facts/Red_giant/lla6Bsvy">red giants</a>, with a significant population of massive <a href="/facts/Supergiant/y7w8WEcm">supergiants</a> and <a href="/facts/Wolf%E2%80%93Rayet_star/YxHnTsF5">Wolf–Rayet stars</a> from star formation in the region around 1 million years ago. The core stars are a small part within the much wider <a href="/facts/Galactic_bulge/cjJ0LFan">galactic bulge</a>. </p>