The ISM and Stellar Distributions Near Sgr A*

HST‐NICMOS imaging in the 1.87 μ mP α line and 1.90 μ m continuum and OVRO interferometry of the 3mm HCN line provide maps of the ionized and molecular gas at 0.2 and 3″ resolution, respectively. Comparison of the observed P α emission with the 6‐cm radio continuum yields a map of the foreground extinction. High apparent extinction is seen along the periphery of the ionized disk and is well‐correlated with the molecular torus. The median extinction is A V = 31.1 mag. This extinction distribution is then used to correct the observed P α emission map to yield an ‘extinction‐corrected’ image of the ionized gas at 0.2″ resolution. The stellar distribution near Sgr A* is also analyzed from the 1.9 μ m continuum image – indicating a drop in the surface brightness distribution of star light within 1″ radius of SgrA*. This could be the result of stellar collisions which deplete giant stars within this radius or indicate the presence of a secondary lower mass black hole.