Monster black hole in recent galaxy 'too big,' mystery object stirs Milky Way's black hole
New studies reveal that the supermassive black hole in a recently discovered galaxy is far larger than it should possibly be, plus scientists are at work following the path of a mystery object that seemed to have rumbled the hole in the Milky Way.
According to Science Daily, the galaxy SAGE0536AGN was first discovered by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and is believed to be about 9 million years old. The galaxy centers an active galactic nucleus (AGN), a super bright object that results from the growth of gas created by a mega black hole.
Using data acquired from the Southern African Large Telescope, the scientists observed the movements within the galaxy and have concluded that the more massive the black hole becomes, the broader the emission line achieved through the Doppler Effect.
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The studies then state that the black hole within the SAGE0536AGN is 350 million times the mass of the Sun, and the galaxy's mass obtained through measurements of the movements of its stars is calculated at 25 billion solar masses — the figures coming to 30 times more than its initial expected size.
Dr. Jacco van Loon, lead author of the new study and an astrophysicist at Keele University, says, "Galaxies have a vast mass, and so do the black holes in their cores. This one though is really too big for its boots. It simply shouldn't be possible for it to be so large."
Meanwhile, a recent report from Discovery News says the passage of a "mysterious dust-enshrouded star" might have caused a stir in Milky Way's supermassive black hole.
The outlet says the black hole which is located in a region of the galaxy's core called Sagittarius A* or Sgr. A* for short, has been releasing bright flares roughly once in 10 days but in the past year, the flares have increased to roughly once in a day.
It was thought initially that the G2, a prospected object, would come around the black hole and cause a disturbance. However, as G2 came closer in 2014, it seemed that it has no effect to the hole.
According to new studies published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, it seems that some of the dust from G2, as it continues to zoom in and out of the hole, have been pulled back into the hole, thus generating X-ray radiation blasts.
The outlet notes, though, that further observations are necessary to conclude that the G2 is indeed responsible for the black hole's changed behavior.
