A new image taken by the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) helps astronomers discover a new cloud of gas orbiting the supermassive black hole at the heart of our Milky Way.
What is it?
This image provides a new view of the middle of the The Milky Way galaxy, where the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (or Sgr A*) is resident. In the image you can see a dense cluster of stars and gas in orbit around Sgr A*. Two clouds of gas known as G1 and G2 had previously been observed orbiting the galaxy’s black hole, but astronomers believe this image helps reveal the existence of a third cloud known as G2t.
The three gas clouds likely originate from the same pair of massive stars known as IRS16SW. “As IRS16SW moves around the black hole, each cloud of gas is ejected into a slightly different orbit, which explains the slight differences in the trajectories of the ‘G triplet’,” ESO wrote in a statement which comes with the picture.
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Why is it amazing?
Like all black holes, astronomers cannot observe Sgr A* directly because even light cannot escape its gravitational pull. But in 2022, scientists managed to do it take a picture of lightin the form of radio waves, from hot gases swirling around the edge of Sgr A*.
Observations of features like G2t help astronomers gain a better insight into the “invisible giant” at the core of our cosmic home. “This discovery shows that, despite decades of monitoring our Milky Way Center, new unanswered curiosities are still emerging,” ESO wrote in the statement accompanying the image.
“But what could be more exciting than mysteries waiting to be solved?”
