Astronomers detect eerie echo coming from 26,000 light-years deep inside our galaxy
Astronomers detect eerie echo coming from 26,000 light-years deep inside our galaxy
The sound marks an intense period of activity as gas and dust are eaten
The supermassive black hole sits at the center of our Milky Way
Scientists have detected an eerie echo coming from a supermassive black hole that is four million times more massive than the sun at the center of our Milky Way.
The sound, which hits high and low notes, marks a very intense period of activity as gas and dust were gobbled up about 200 years ago when the dark abyss burst into life after laying dormant.
Researchers at the Astronomical Strasbourg Observatory in France captured massive amounts of radiation emitted by Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) in light reflected by clouds in the Galactic Center - the middle region of our galaxy.
When a black hole is 'dormant,' the dark abyss does not emit high levels of X-ray radiation, which is how such black holes are typically detected.
Astronomers captured a remarkable image of Sgr A* in 2022, showing what looks like a glowing red and orange colored donut hanging in the blackness of space.
Stars were previously seen orbiting around something invisible, compact, and very massive at the center of the Milky Way.
This strongly suggested that the object was a black hole, and last year's image provides the first direct visual evidence.
Although it is impossible to see the black hole itself because it is entirely dark, glowing gas around it reveals a telltale signature: a dark central region (called a shadow) surrounded by a bright ring-like structure.
The new view captures light bent by the powerful gravity of the black hole.
