[CLSTR]
< Back to situations

Monitor this situation.

[SITUATION] · [QUIET] · [TECHNOLOGY]

2 clusters · 5 sources · 30 days · First seen · Last updated

Stellar discoveries near Sagittarius A*

Overview

Astronomers have identified new stellar objects orbiting Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.

Initial findings highlighted the discovery of S301, a star with a highly elliptical orbit that completes a revolution in 8.7 years. Reaching speeds of approximately 25,000 kilometers per second, S301 is noted as the fastest known star in the Milky Way. Its proximity to the black hole allows scientists to use its movement to study black hole properties and test general relativity.

Subsequent research identified D9, a binary star system located near the black hole. Detected using the Very Large Telescope in Chile, the discovery of this system challenges previous scientific assumptions that the intense gravity near a supermassive black hole would prevent the stability of complex stellar pairs. The existence of D9 suggests the environment surrounding such objects may support stable configurations.

Entities

Sagittarius A* · 70 Ophiuchi · Very Large Telescope · Milky Way · S301

Timeline

  1. [TECHNOLOGY] 2 sources
    Sagittarius A* vicinity hosts newly discovered binary star system

    Astronomers have discovered a binary star system, D9, orbiting near the Milky Way's central supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*, suggesting more stable environments than previously thought.

  2. [TECHNOLOGY] 3 sources
    S301 star discovered orbiting Sagittarius A* black hole

    Astronomers have discovered S301, the fastest known star in the Milky Way, which orbits the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* at speeds exceeding 8% of the speed of light.

Sources

es.gizmodo.com · harzkurier.de · ikz-online.de · thueringer-allgemeine.de · xeu.mx