Scientists find closest star to the Milky Way's central black hole
Summary
Scientists have discovered a new star, called S301, that orbits closer to the Milky Way’s central black hole, named Sgr A*, than any previously known star. This close orbit may help researchers learn about the black hole's spin, an important property beyond its mass.Key Facts
- Sgr A* is the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.
- The star S301 was found using the GRAVITY instrument on the Very Large Telescope in Europe.
- S301 moves on an orbit that takes only 8.7 years to go around Sgr A*, faster than other nearby stars.
- Its orbit is very stretched out, not circular.
- Observing S301’s motion could reveal the spin of the black hole, which affects how the star’s orbit changes over time.
- Spin is one of two main properties of black holes besides mass; the other is electric charge, which cannot be measured.
- Studying stars near the black hole helps scientists understand the environment around it and test physics theories like relativity.
- Previous stars took much longer to orbit, making it hard to study spin effects without either very precise instruments or long time periods.
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