Inside almost every known galaxy lurks a supermassive black hole, and our home Milky Way galaxy is no exception. This image showcases the location of the highly evolved star IRS 3, which is located just 0.55 light-years from Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way galaxy’s central supermassive black hole. An international team of astronomers have discovered that dust and water can form and survive surprisingly close to this supermassive black hole. The star at the center of our galaxy’s black hole, IRS 3, is a perfect example of these interactions. “This tells us that even close to a supermassive black hole, stars can continue contributing material back into their surroundings,” she added.