Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) array of telescopes at the European Southern Observatory (ESO), astronomers have discovered “signs of a ‘hot spot'” surrounding Sagittarius A* (Sgr A* for short), the black hole. at the center of our galaxy, in a very narrow orbit and at a terrible speed.
“We suspect we are dealing with a hot gas bubble orbiting Sagittarius A* in an orbit similar in size to the planet Mercury, but completing a full orbit in just about 70 minutes. an incredible speed of about 30 percent of the speed of light,” said Maciek Wielgus of the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy (MPIfR) in Bonn.
In April 2017, the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) aimed eight radio telescopes — including ALMA, which are located in the Chilean Andes — at the center of our Milky Way galaxy. One result of this campaign was the first image of the galactic black hole released last May.
Gas bubble spins near black hole
Some of the observations were made shortly after a burst of X-rays from the center of our galaxy was detected by NASA’s Chandra Space Telescope. These eruptions are believed to be associated with so-called “hot spots” – bubbles of hot gas that orbit very quickly and close to a massive black hole.
The researchers now hope to use the EHT to directly observe the orbiting clumps of gas in order to get closer and closer to the black hole and learn more about it. “Hopefully one day we can say we really understand what’s going on in Sagittarius A*,” said MPIfR researcher Wielgus.
26,000 light-years from Earth
About 26,000 light-years away, the 4.1 million solar-massive supermassive black hole Sgr A*, with the dense star cluster surrounding it, is a unique laboratory for investigating physics in an otherwise unexplored and extreme gravitational regime.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
