G2, which was once suspected to be a massive rogue star wandering near the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy containing Earth, was not torn apart and did not create a cosmic fireworks display as previously predicted.
A new study led by astrophysicist Florian Peißker from the University of Cologne (Germany) reports that to date, a total of rogue objects have been discovered near the galactic center, with 6 of them having not been consumed by the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, primarily consisting of merged binary stars.
Artist’s depiction of the 3 “ghosts” of G2 – (Image: Jack Ciurlo/UCLA).
However, the most intriguing is G2, an object that was once thought to be a very large star, which recently passed by the black hole, leading astronomers to believe they would witness a massive “fireworks display” from the black hole.
Contrary to expectations, it did not perish. G2 actually passed through its closest point to the black hole in its orbit without being swallowed, merely undergoing a change in shape.
According to Science Alert, the study reveals that G2 is not a star but rather a gigantic gas cloud containing up to 3 young stars. G2 was stretched out as it passed by the black hole, only to contract again after moving past the danger zone.
This is a massive hot gas and dust cloud housing 3 stars that are just 1 million years old, expected to be in the form of enormous and powerful “monstrous” stars. These 3 “young monsters” are still in the process of accreting and are not fully formed, remaining surrounded by a cloud of material. After the close encounter, they continue to develop as if nothing had happened.
In comparison, the age of the Sun is 4.6 billion years. Thus, it can be said that the 3 “young monsters” of G2 are still in their infancy. According to the authors, the truth about G2 is a “sensational” discovery.
The supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy containing Earth has a mass equivalent to 4 million Suns and is believed to be “asleep”, but occasionally awakens to voraciously consume matter if a “snack” happens to wander too close.
The research was recently published in the scientific journal The Astrophysical Journal.
