Measuring a Magnetic Field
In this artist’s illustration, the black hole at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy has an intense magnetic field around it. We know it’s intense, because a pulsar was discovered inside the field. Like a buoy bouncing on the waves, the pulsar’s pulse twisted in this field. The amount of twist helped gauge the strength of the field and hence the power of the black hole’s environment.
Credit: Bill Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)
