Why does the center of our galaxy look so bright?

And by 'a lot' I mean it can easily outshine the entire galaxy. In fact these Quasars are the most energetic objects in the universe. They are so luminous that we can see them literally across the end of the observable universe. read more

What you are referring to is called a Bulge. It is a tightly packed group of stars within a larger formation. It typically appears near the center of spiral galaxies, which is also type of galaxy the milky way is. read more

So, in my mind, it would appear bright because the light is being pulled towards the center of the galaxy. Light is only fully pulled into the black hole at the event horizon. The light could be pulled into the gravitational field of the black hole. read more

At the center of nearly all galaxies has not just a black hole, but a supermassive black hole. To be a supermassive black hole it must reach a certain mass. As for why it is so bright, it is the super hot gas that is just about to be consumed by the black hole. read more