A star near the centre of our galaxy reaches almost 3 per cent of the speed of light as it is whipped around something four million times the mass of the Sun that emits no light of its own — and tracking its orbit for nearly three decades helped two astronomers wi - Space Daily
Astronomers have tracked the orbit of the star S2 around Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, for nearly three decades. These observations confirmed Einstein's predictions regarding gravity and mass, earning the researchers significant scientific recognition.
Why it matters
This long-term study provides empirical evidence for the existence and behavior of black holes, fundamental to our understanding of astrophysics.
Decades of watching a star dance around an invisible cosmic anchor proved what physics predicted and earned astronomy's highest honour.
Near the centre of the Milky Way, about 26,000 light-years from Earth, a young blue star repeatedly performs what looks like an impossible turn.
It falls towards an object that cannot be seen, accelerates to about 7,650 kilometres per second and then swings away again. At that speed it could cross the distance from Earth to the Moon in under a minute. It is moving at roughly 2.55 per cent of the speed of light, close enough to 3 per cent that the effects predicted by Einstein become measurable.
The star is called S2 by European astronomers and S0-2 by the team at the Keck Observatory. The invisible object controlling it is Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in