Рет қаралды 5,177
The fastest known star, found by researchers at the University of Cologne and Masaryk University in Brno, orbits around a black hole in record time. S4716 circles Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the heart of our Milky Way, in four years at a speed of around 8,000 kilometres per second.S4716 is just 100 astronomical units away from the black hole, which is a short distance by astronomical standards. One astronomical unit is 149,597,870 kilometres.
A tightly packed cluster of stars exists around the black hole at the heart of our galaxy. This cluster, known as the S cluster, is home to several hundred stars of varying brightness and mass. S stars move really quickly. "One prominent member, S2, behaves like a large person sitting in front of you in a movie theater: it blocks your view of what's important," said Dr Florian Peissker, lead author of the new study. "The view into the centre of our galaxy is therefore often obscured by S2. However, in brief moments, we can observe the surroundings of the central black hole.
Scientists have finally found, without a doubt, a star that goes around the centre of a supermassive black hole in just four years using continually developing methods of research and observations spanning nearly twenty years. The star was viewed by five telescopes, four of which were merged into one huge telescope to enable even more precise and comprehensive studies. "For a star to be in a stable orbit so close and fast in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole was completely unexpected and marked the limit that can be observed with traditional telescopes," said Peissker.
Furthermore, the discovery gives fresh information on the origin and evolution of the fast-moving stars in the Milky Way's core. "The short-period, compact orbit of S4716 is quite puzzling," Michael Zajaček, an astrophysicist at Masaryk University in Brno who was involved in the study, said. "Stars cannot form so easily near the black hole. S4716 had to move inwards, for example by approaching other stars and objects in the S cluster, which caused its orbit to shrink significantly."
If you want to learn more about Space and stay on top of Astronomy news and updates, subscribe to the channel.
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @nasaspacenewsagency
Tags:
#nasa #blackhole #eht #m87 #sgra* #milkyway #milkywayblackhole #milkywaysaga #speedoflight #jwst #nasa #jameswebbspacetelescope #webbtelescope #jwst #universe #mysterioussignal #galaxy #webbtelescopeupdates #jwstimages #photons #firstgalaxy #webbtelescopeupdates #interstellar #webbselfie #webbtelescopeimage #alienlife #jameswebbspacetelescope #nasa #galaxy #star #webbtelscopenewimages #HD84406 #webbtelescopeupdates