Sgr A* : 200 years ago, a millionfold brighter

We report on recent observations of the molecular cloud Sgr A near the Galactic Center with the Imaging X-ray Polarimetry Explorer (IXPE). This molecular cloud was observed to test the hypothesis that the supermassive black hole Sgr A* was dramatically brighter in the past. Here we report on the polarization degree and angle measured from the IXPE results and interpret them in the context of the X-rays originating from a past outburst of Sgr A*.