Astronomers discover Milky Ways fastest star orbiting central black hole at 25,000 km per second
Astronomers have identified the fastest-known star in the Milky Way, designated S301, traveling at 25,000 kilometers per second—about 8% the speed of light—according to observations published Wednesday in the journal *Nature* .
The star orbits Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the galaxy’s center, on an highly eccentric path that brings it within 12 times the Earth-Sun distance of the black hole, completing a full orbit every 8.7 years . Researchers used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer in Chile to track its motion, noting its proximity may allow direct measurement of the black hole’s spin for the first time .
Felix Mang, a doctoral student and co-author of the study, called the star’s trajectory “unprecedented” in an ESO statement . The team believes S301 was once part of a binary star system disrupted by Sagittarius A*’s gravity, with its former companion ejected from the galaxy at extreme speed .
Sagittarius A*, with a mass equivalent to 4 million suns, has been studied for decades through the orbits of nearby stars, a method that helped estimate its size and mass . The black hole’s spin, one of only two distinct properties beyond mass according to relativity, could be inferred by tracking S301 over two full orbits, as its path is distorted by the black hole’s rotation dragging spacetime .
The discovery builds on work by Reinhard Genzel, who shared the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics for confirming Sagittarius A*’s existence and co-authored the new study . The black hole, located 27,000 light-years from Earth, was first imaged in 2022 by the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration .
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Fastest-known star zooms under Milky Way black holes influence reut.rs/4xQfZUI
bluesky_Reuters · about 3 hours ago
Im Sog eines Schwarzen Lochs: Wie S301 zum schnellsten Stern der Milchstraße wurde S301 kommt dem Schwarzen Loch im Zentrum unserer Milchstraße näher als andere Sterne – und spürt dessen Rotation. Damit ließe sich die Drehgeschwindigkeit eines Schwarzen Lochs direkt messen.
tagesspiegel · about 3 hours ago
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Scientists find closest star to the Milky Ways central black hole Star, moving at 8 the speed of light, may let us measure the black holes rotation.
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la libre · about 3 hours ago
Ster die met 25.000 kilometer per seconde beweegt voelt draaiing van zwart gat Astronomen hebben dicht bij het zwarte gat in het centrum van de Melkweg een ster ontdekt die 25.000 kilometer per seconde beweegt. De ster "voelt" daardoor de draaiing van het gat.
nu.nl · about 3 hours ago
Tähtitiede | Kotigalaksimme nopein tähti löytyi: kiitää jopa 25 000 kilometriä sekunnissa Vauhtia selittää se, että tähti kiertää massiivisen mustan aukon hyvin läheltä.
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