A recent study has revealed the name of the enigmatic object that
astronomers have been monitoring for decades, as well as its likely destiny
in the years to come, when it will likely be swallowed up by the
supermassive black hole hiding there.
The most extreme climate in the galaxy is found in the Milky Way's core.
That's because Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), an enormous black hole with a mass
of roughly four million Suns, is located there. This has a significant
gravity effect on the nearby stars and other things.
One such object is X7, which is thought to circle Sgr A* at a distance of
about 170-years and have a mass of about 50 Earths. Although X7 has been
observed for many years, scientists are still unsure of its exact nature. In
the new study, a team from the UCLA Galactic Center Group and the Keck
Telescope set out to solve this mystery.
The scientists examined 20 years' worth of data on X7 and discovered that
it has grown considerably longer over time. Additionally, it is accelerating
and is currently moving at a pace of roughly 700 miles (1,127 km) per
second.
No other object in this area has demonstrated such a virulent evolution,
according to the study's main author Anna Ciurlo. People speculated that the
comet-like appearance it initially had may have been caused by stellar winds
or black hole streams of particles. But after 20 years of watching it, we
noticed that it was lengthening. Something must have directed this cloud in
its specific direction and alignment.
X7 has changed dramatically more than the other objects in the region,
despite the fact that all objects in the region tend to be spread out by the
strong gravity. And this might be important for deciphering its
identify.
Although members of the G object class, which also seem to be clouds of
dust, made a near approach to Sgr A* in 2014, they shed less mass than was
predicted, suggesting a denser center. This indicates that it was a star
encased in a layer of dust, and X7 may represent a novel category of objects
in which the dust itself holds the star. The team suggests that this
material mass may have been expelled following the collision of two
stars.
We are aware of its recent history, but what lies ahead for X7? The X7
spacecraft is not expected to survive the near encounter with the
supermassive black hole, which will occur around the year 2036, according to
the team's estimates of its trajectory. It will soon be gulped down and
vanish forever.
According to research co-author Mark Morris, "we predict that the powerful
tidal forces generated by the galactic black hole will eventually rip X7
apart before it completes even one circle."
The research was published in
The Astrophysical Journal.
