Which constellation contains the center of the Milky Way?

The story behind the answer

Sagittarius is correct because the Milky Way’s dynamical center—marked by the radio source Sagittarius A*—lies in this constellation. Sagittarius A* is a supermassive black hole about 4 million times the Sun’s mass; stars orbiting it helped confirm its presence, and in 2022 the Event Horizon Telescope released its first image. While neighboring Scorpius and Ophiuchus sit close to this region in the sky, the actual center is within Sagittarius.

Tip to remember: In the summer sky, the “Teapot” asterism in Sagittarius appears to pour “steam”—the bright, hazy band of the Milky Way. The spout points toward the galactic center, making Sagittarius the gateway to our galaxy’s core.