by Kln University
There is a star that travels around a black hole in record time. In four years, Sagittarius A*, the black hole in the center of our Milky Way, will reach a speed of 8000 kilometers per second. The black hole is as close as 100AU to S4716. The total distance is 149,597,870 kilometers. The study has appeared in a journal.
There is a dense cluster of stars in the vicinity of the black hole. The S cluster has over a hundred stars that are different in their mass and brightness. The stars move quickly. The lead author of the new study said that S2 behaves like a large person sitting in front of you in a movie theater. S2 obscures the view into the center of our universe. We can see the surroundings of the central black hole in a short time.
The scientist was able to identify a star that traveled around the central black hole in just four years by continuously refining methods of analysis and observing. Four of the five telescopes were combined into one large telescope to allow more accurate and detailed observations. Peissker said that the star in the vicinity of a black hole marks the limit that can be observed with traditional telescopes.
The discovery sheds new light on the evolution of fast- moving stars in the center of the Milky Way. Michael Zajaek is an astronomer at Masaryk University and was involved in the study. There is a black hole. S4716 had to move inwards to get around other stars and objects in the S cluster.
More information: Florian Peißker et al, Observation of S4716—a Star with a 4 yr Orbit around Sgr A*, The Astrophysical Journal (2022). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ac752f Journal information: Astrophysical Journal Provided by Universität zu Köln
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