S301 star discovered orbiting Sagittarius A* black hole
Astronomers have discovered a star named S301 that orbits extremely close to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. Sagittarius A* has an estimated mass of approximately 4.3 million suns.
S301 follows a highly elliptical orbit, completing a full revolution around the black hole in just 8.7 years. At its closest approach, the star reaches speeds of approximately 25,000 kilometers per second, which is more than eight percent of the speed of light. This makes S301 the fastest known star in the Milky Way.
The star's proximity to the black hole is significant for research; at its closest point, it is only about 1.4 billion kilometers away. This distance is roughly ten times closer than the previously studied star S2. Because black holes do not emit light, scientists use the movement of nearby objects like S301 as natural measuring instruments to study the black hole's properties and test Einstein's theory of general relativity, specifically the frame-dragging effect.
Entities
Albert Einstein · Milky Way · S2 · S301 · Sagittarius A*
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 3 SOURCES] The star S301 completes one orbit around Sagittarius A* in 8.7 years. www.harzkurier.de · www.ikz-online.de · www.thueringer-allgemeine.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] S301 reaches a speed of approximately 25,000 kilometers per second at its closest approach. www.harzkurier.de · www.ikz-online.de · www.thueringer-allgemeine.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] S301 reaches a distance from the black hole that is roughly ten times closer than the star S2. www.harzkurier.de · www.ikz-online.de · www.thueringer-allgemeine.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] The closest distance between S301 and the black hole is approximately 1.4 billion kilometers. www.harzkurier.de · www.ikz-online.de · www.thueringer-allgemeine.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] Astronomers discovered the star S301 orbiting the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. www.harzkurier.de · www.ikz-online.de · www.thueringer-allgemeine.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] Sagittarius A* has a mass of approximately 4.3 million suns. www.harzkurier.de · www.ikz-online.de · www.thueringer-allgemeine.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] S301's speed at closest approach is more than eight percent of the speed of light. www.harzkurier.de · www.ikz-online.de · www.thueringer-allgemeine.de
- [● 3 SOURCES] S301 is the fastest known star in the Milky Way. www.harzkurier.de · www.ikz-online.de · www.thueringer-allgemeine.de