{"id":1144,"date":"2008-12-10T22:26:57","date_gmt":"2008-12-10T22:26:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/omniversity.us\/exopolitics\/2008\/12\/10\/astronomers-confirm-black-hole-at-the-heart-of-the-milky-way\/"},"modified":"2008-12-10T22:26:57","modified_gmt":"2008-12-10T22:26:57","slug":"astronomers-confirm-black-hole-at-the-heart-of-the-milky-way","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/omniversity.us\/exopolitics\/astronomers-confirm-black-hole-at-the-heart-of-the-milky-way\/","title":{"rendered":"Astronomers confirm black hole at the heart of the Milky Way"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Mark Henderson
London Times<\/strong><\/a>
Wednesday, Dec 10, 2008<\/p>\n

A swarm of stars<\/a>
\norbiting a vast black hole at the centre of the Milky Way has been
\nmapped with remarkable precision, providing astronomers with their most
\ndetailed look yet at the heart of our galaxy. <\/span><\/p>\n

Observations by the European Southern Observatory<\/a>
\n(ESO) in Chile has found the strongest evidence yet for a supermassive
\nblack hole at the galaxy\u2019s core, as well as charting the immense
\ngravitational effects this has on the surrounding stars<\/span>. <\/span><\/p>\n

\"the
(Gillessen et al\/PA)
The nature of the black hole<\/span> can be inferred from the pattern of motion of the stars<\/span> that surround it<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

<\/em>Over 16 years, the orbits of 28 stars<\/span>
\nin the Milky Way\u2019s central region have been meticulously tracked by
\nastronomers, allowing them to study the hidden black hole that
\ninfluences their movements. <\/span><\/p>\n

The black hole<\/a>,
\nknown as Sagittarius A* (pronounced \u201cSagittarius A-star\u201d), cannot be
\nseen directly, but its nature can be inferred from the pattern of
\nmotion of the stars<\/span> that surround it. Details of the research are published in the Astrophysical Journal. <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

Reinhard Genzel, of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial
\nPhysics in Germany, who led the international study team, said:
\n\u201cUndoubtedly the most spectacular aspect of our long term study is that
\nit has delivered what is now considered to be the best empirical
\nevidence that supermassive black holes do really exist. The stellar
\norbits in the galactic centre show that the central mass concentration
\nof four million solar masses must be a black hole, beyond any
\nreasonable doubt. <\/p>\n