Scientists finally confirm that the Milky Way has a supermassive black hole

Scientists have finally confirmed that the massive object at the heart of our galaxy is actually a supermassive black hole.

The researchers used the GRAVITY instrument of the European Telescope's Very Large Telescope (VLT) to observe the eruptions of infrared radiation from the accretion disk around Sagittarius A * – the massive object in the center of our galaxy . Scientists believe that most galaxies have a supermassive black hole in their center, but they never had the data and observations before to prove it.

To measure the effects of gravity near a black hole, scientists had to observe an object actually moving nearby. They found their mark in a small star called S2 whose orbit drags deep into the gravity of Sagittarius A * every 16 years. Under their eyes, they saw three flares moving around the black hole event horizon at about 30% of the speed of light, or about 216 million miles per hour.

This is exactly what Einstein's theory of general relativity predicts when a hot spot (like S2) passes near a black hole weighing up to 4 million suns, and observation confirms that he is really here.

"We were watching S2 closely and, of course, we are still watching Sagittarius A *. During our observations, we had the chance to notice three light flashes around the black hole. It was a coincidence! "Said Oliver Pfuhl, scientist at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Garching, Germany.

Correct assumptions

This is the first time scientists have observed materials in orbit so close to the point of no physical return of a black hole. These are also the most detailed observations ever made of materials in orbit so close to a black hole.

"It's amazing to see materials gravitating around a huge black hole at 30% of the speed of light. The great sensitivity of GRAVITY allowed us to observe the accumulation processes in real time with unprecedented details, "Pfuhl said in a statement.

For a long time, scientists have assumed that a supermassive black hole existed at the heart of our galaxy and most other galaxies. But these observations mark the first time that scientists can confirm their long-standing theory.

"It was always one of our dream projects but we did not dare to hope it would become possible so soon … the result is a stark confirmation of the huge paradigm of the black hole," Reinhard Genzel, MEP, who said directed the study, said in the statement.