Using data from ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Keck Telescope, astronomers detected a binary star system in the S star cluster near Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. I discovered it. This is the first time that a binary star has been discovered near a supermassive black hole.
This image shows the location of binary star D9 orbiting Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. Image credit: ESO / Peißker et al. / S. Guizard.
Sagittarius A* is orbited by fast stars and dusty objects collectively known as the S cluster.
Binary star systems (two stars gravitationally bound to each other around a common center of mass) are predicted to exist within the S cluster, but have not been detected so far.
Previous studies have suggested that such stars are unlikely to be stabilized by their interactions with Sagittarius A*.
“Black holes are not as destructive as we think,” says Florian Peisker, an astronomer at the University of Cologne.
“Our findings show that some binaries can temporarily thrive even under disruptive conditions.”
The newly discovered binary star, named D9, is estimated to be just 2.7 million years old.
Due to the strong gravity of the nearby black hole, it will probably merge into a single star within just a million years, a very short time for such a young system.
“This only provides a short window on the cosmic timescale for observing such binary star systems, but we succeeded,” said Dr. Emma Bordier, also from the University of Cologne. Ta.
“The D9 system shows clear signs of gas and dust surrounding the star, suggesting it may be a very young system that must have formed near a supermassive black hole. ” said Dr. Michal Zajacek. Astronomer at Masaryk University and the University of Cologne.
The most mysterious of the S clusters are the G objects, which behave like stars but look like clouds of gas and dust.
It was while observing these mysterious objects that the research team discovered a surprising pattern in D9.
“This result sheds new light on what the mysterious G-objects are,” the authors said.
“They may actually be a combination of binaries that have not yet merged and leftover material from stars that have already merged.”
“Planets often form around young stars, so this discovery allows us to speculate about their existence,” Dr. Pisker said.
“It seems like it’s only a matter of time before planets are detected at the center of the galaxy.”
a paper This discovery was published in today’s magazine nature communications.
_____
F. Peisker others. 2024. A binary star system in the S star cluster near the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*. Nat Commune 15, 10608; doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-54748-3
Source: www.sci.news
