Ashley Krisdaphongs (G8)

Science and Technology

Published Issue 3 2022-2023

In May 2022, an image was released for the first time by the Event Horizon Telescope collaboration. This image was a portrait of a Black hole anchoring our galaxy, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). This was the first time a scientist was able to take a picture of this black hole.

A black hole is a location in space where there is so much gravitational pull that it pulls in every star, asteroid, planet, and form of light within. Because there is no light, a black hole is invisible and can only be identified using special space telescopes. Other special tools are used to calculate the distance between stars and the black hole. Thus, capturing an image of a black hole is very rare and cannot be forgotten. However, there was still more to learn about Sgr A*, the black hole just recently captured in a photo. 

From Earth’s point of view, approximately 27,000 light-years away from the black hole, astronomers have been watching and studying the void to figure out how the Milky  Way’s ferocious engine functions. In September, a crew used a radio telescope called the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array Observatory (ALMA) and was able to uncover a few clues.

After viewing the data collected from the ALMA, scientists discovered what is identified as a “hot spot” flitting around the abyss of Sgr A*. This spot appeared to be repeatedly dimming and brightening, and at the same time, travelling clockwise around the black hole. The bubble’s orbit is around the same size as Mercury’s, but it is travelling at 30% of the speed of light. It takes Mercury, the fastest planet in our solar system, 88 days to make one orbit around the sun, and moves at a speed of 29 miles per second. 

According to the European Southern Observatory, scientists believe that this hot spot has occurred because of bursts, or flares consisting of X-ray energy released from the centre of the Milky Way. Perhaps, the reason why this activity and differing infrared wavelengths have occurred is that their properties change over time. 

To conclude, the team’s findings appeared to be similar to another long-theorized hypothesis. This hypothesis states that “flares spit from the Milky Way’s centre are rooted in magnetic interactions stemming from hot gas swirling near Sgr A*”.