Astronomers have discovered a pair of young stars near the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy. Studying them can offer a rare glimpse into how stars can endure — at least briefly — the immense gravity exerted by such cosmic behemoths.

A binary star system is orbiting close to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy.

New analysis techniques and decades-old research helped NASA scientists identify an unusual black hole in a distant galaxy.