A recently discovered star called S4716 orbits a massive black hole at an unbelievable speed, setting the record for the fastest star in terms of speed moving through the universe.
Researchers have found that the star orbits the black hole Sagittarius A, which measures 23.5 million kilometers across. The star crosses this massive distance in about four years, traveling at an estimated just about four years, at an estimated speed of 18 million mph (29 million kph), or nearly 5,000 miles every second.
The “Usain Bolt” of stars was discovered by the University of Cologne and Masaryk University.
A total of five telescopes were utilized to observe the S4716, and for more accurate observations, four telescopes were combined into one massive telescope to zoom in on the star. The telescopes included NIR2 and OSIRIS in Hawaii, and the European Southern Observatory’s SINFONI, NACO, and GRAVITY telescopes.
After observing the star for over 20 years and performing complex calculations, the scientists concluded that the star was traveling through space and time at a speed of 8,000 kilometers per second.
“For a star to be in a stable orbit so close and fast in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole was completely unexpected and marked the limit that can be observed with traditional telescopes,” said Dr. Florian Peissker, lead author of the new study.
The scientists also concluded that the “Flash” star would sometimes come as close as 100 AU (astronomical units) to the massive “dark pit of death” it was orbiting. One astronomical unit is a unit used by astronomers to measure distances in solar systems; the unit is about the length of the Earth to the Sun, which measures about 149,597,870 kilometers.
S4716 is part of a dense, tightly packed grouping of stars called the S cluster that orbits close to the galactic center and the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole. These S cluster stars move particularly fast but vary in brightness and mass.
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/62081631
Researchers have found that the star orbits the black hole Sagittarius A, which measures 23.5 million kilometers across. The star crosses this massive distance in about four years, traveling at an estimated just about four years, at an estimated speed of 18 million mph (29 million kph), or nearly 5,000 miles every second.
The “Usain Bolt” of stars was discovered by the University of Cologne and Masaryk University.
A total of five telescopes were utilized to observe the S4716, and for more accurate observations, four telescopes were combined into one massive telescope to zoom in on the star. The telescopes included NIR2 and OSIRIS in Hawaii, and the European Southern Observatory’s SINFONI, NACO, and GRAVITY telescopes.
After observing the star for over 20 years and performing complex calculations, the scientists concluded that the star was traveling through space and time at a speed of 8,000 kilometers per second.
“For a star to be in a stable orbit so close and fast in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole was completely unexpected and marked the limit that can be observed with traditional telescopes,” said Dr. Florian Peissker, lead author of the new study.
The scientists also concluded that the “Flash” star would sometimes come as close as 100 AU (astronomical units) to the massive “dark pit of death” it was orbiting. One astronomical unit is a unit used by astronomers to measure distances in solar systems; the unit is about the length of the Earth to the Sun, which measures about 149,597,870 kilometers.
S4716 is part of a dense, tightly packed grouping of stars called the S cluster that orbits close to the galactic center and the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole. These S cluster stars move particularly fast but vary in brightness and mass.
Source: https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/62081631
