Scientists confirm that the center of our galaxy is a supermassive black hole

It has been suspected for some time that there is a supermbadive black hole in the center of our galaxy called Sagittarius A *. Now scientists have found more evidence about the black hole they shared in an announcement made on October 31.

Cosmologists have used the very large telescope (VLT) to observe bursts of infrared radiation from the Sagittarius A * (pronounced A-Star) debris disk, which is solid proof that it is safe to use. acts of a supermbadive black hole. A consortium of scientists from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has used the interferometer of the GRAVITY telescope to observe three light bursts orbiting Sagittarius A * at an incredible speed of 30% of the speed of light . The eruptions are thought to be caused by heated gases orbiting Sagittarius A *, which interact with the magnetic fields around them and conform to what scientists have predicted would be observed around a black hole.

The ESO has released a video that shows a nice visualization of the zoom in the black hole and observation of the swirling pattern of the flares that surround it:

This is the first time that a material is observed so close to the event horizon of a black hole. The event horizon is a region around a black hole where nothing can escape – neither matter nor even light. Because black holes are very dense, they have a very strong gravity that brings everything in the event horizon back to the black hole and prevents it from escaping. Just outside the event horizon is a point called the most stable internal orbit, which is closest to the fact that the material can get to the black hole without being dragged into it, and that's what it is. is where the eruptions observed by the ESO come from. The innermost orbit is part of the accretion disk, which is the gas disk and other material that forms around a black hole, but which is far enough away not to be pulled in. the horizon of events. Friction and gravity forces combine to compress these gases and increase their temperature. This is how flares are formed.

As a supermbadive black hole, Sagittarius A * is even stronger than most black holes because of its enormous size. We now have confirmation that this cosmological giant is the center around which the entire galaxy of the Milky Way rotates.