Astronomers Don’t Know What Our Black Hole Ate, but They Definitely Saw It Belch

In May 2019 , astronomers witnessed a promising flair coming from the center of our galaxy . The effect was due to matter accrete to our local black hole , a 4.6 - million - solar - peck monster name Sagittarius A * . The case of the flaring was unknown , though one investigator now says enigmatic “ G - objects ” may be responsible .

principal and other cosmic object turn over by Sagittarius A * ( pronouncing sag - A - star ) all the time , but whatever got too close a few year ago “ sent the fateful cakehole into this weird state where it kept bring about something extraordinary , ” said sketch author Lena Murchikova , an astrophysicist at the Institute for Advanced Study , in a phone call . “ We have n’t seen any sort of activity like this ever , since the beginning of watching , which was about 25 years ago . ”

During 2019 ’s recorded flair result , the essence of the Milky Way flashed twice as brilliantly in virtually - infrared brightness as any previously recorded burst , and 100 times brighter than the normal brightness level of its center . This endure for two and a one-half hours , as matter fall into the central void , illumine up the recital of Hawaii ’s Keck Observatory . extra flares continued until at least the end of that year .

The Milky Way galaxy.

The Milky Way galaxy.Image: ESO/S. Brunier (Fair Use)

Previously , researcherssuggestedthe flares may have been due to a particular kind of whiz whose ambit jive precipitously near to the black hole , which pulls matter off it with its vivid gravity . Murchikova determined that the timing did n’t crinkle up — the genius pass by the black hole nigh a year before the flare pass , and its topic would have take longer than that year to reach the accumulation disk . An alternative was two so - predict G - objects , the individuality of which rest unknown but may be either gas clouds , star , or a bit of both . The G - target passed at different times , but their thing would ’ve arrived at the fateful hole ’s maw at the same time . Murchikova exit the flare pass was cause by the joint infall of the G - aim ’ masses . Herresearchis release in The Astrophysical Journal Letters .

“ There ’s nothing to prove [ the timing ] is not a conjunction , because we ca n’t go back in meter and calculate it , ” Murchikova said . “ But it ’s the in effect we have ; it seems to be matching , and that ’s really uncanny , patently . ”

If the flaring was indeed due to these G - aim , it ’ll presently pass , an interesting unusual person in the luminance at our galaxy ’s nub . If the flares were perpetrate by any other celestial perpetrator , perhaps more result will occur — we’ll just have to expect for more data from our observatories .

The core of the Milky Way galaxy, with the Sagittarius A* inset top right.