In which constellation does the center of the Milky Way lie?

The center of the Milky Way lies in the constellation Sagittarius. The Galactic Center appears in the direction of Sagittarius, close to the boundary with neighboring constellations such as Scorpius and Ophiuchus.

This region is difficult to observe in visible light because thick clouds of interstellar dust block much of the view. Infrared, radio, and X-ray observations reveal the crowded central region and the compact radio source Sagittarius A*, which marks the position of the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole.

A common mix-up is confusing the constellation with Sagittarius A*. Sagittarius is a named area of the sky; Sagittarius A* is a specific astronomical radio source within it. The constellation is also famous for containing rich Milky Way star fields, nebulae, and the apparent direction of the Galaxy’s central bulge.