The ‘invisible giant’ at the heart of our galaxy

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A new image captured by the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) helps astronomers discover a new gas cloud orbiting the supermassive black hole at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy.

What is this?

This image offers a new view of the center of Milky Way galaxy, where the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* (or Sgr A*) resides. In the image, we can see a dense cluster of stars and gas orbiting Sgr A*. Two gas clouds called G1 and G2 had previously been observed orbiting our galaxy’s black hole, but astronomers believe this image helps reveal the existence of a third cloud called G2t.

All three gas clouds likely come from the same pair of massive stars, known as IRS16SW. “As IRS16SW moves around the black hole, each gas cloud is ejected into a slightly different orbit, explaining the small differences in the trajectories of the ‘G-triplet’,” ESO wrote in a statement. statement accompanying the image.

Why is this amazing?

Like all black holes, astronomers cannot directly observe Sgr A* because even light cannot escape its gravitational pull. However, in 2022, scientists have managed to capture an image of lightin the form of radio waves, coming from hot gases swirling around the edge of Sgr A*.

Observations of features like G2t help astronomers get a better look at the “invisible giant” at the heart of our cosmic home. “This discovery shows that, despite decades of monitoring our center of the Milky Way, new unanswered curiosities are emerging,” ESO wrote in the statement accompanying the image.

“But what’s more exciting than mysteries waiting to be solved?”