A Star Is Circling a Black Hole and Its Orbit Is Absolutely Nuts – Futurism

Cosmic Dance

A star orbiting the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way has a bizarre orbit but also one that strongly supports Einsteins theories.

After monitoringthe star, dubbed S2, for 27 years straight, astronomers from the Max Planck Institute determined that it traces a distinct flower-like shape as it orbits, CNN reports. The fact that the star makes a rosette as it travels supports Einsteins theory of general relativity, which predicts that such a pairing would remain dynamic instead of fixed in a set, ellipse-shaped orbit.

S2s orbit around the black hole Sagittarius A* isnt the first evidence for the theory of general relativity but the research, published last month in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, strengthens the idea even further.

This famous effect first seen in the orbit of the planet Mercury around the Sun was the first evidence in favor of general relativity, Reinhard Genzel, director at the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, said in a press release. One hundred years later we have now detected the same effect in the motion of a star orbiting the compact radio source Sagittarius A* at the center of the Milky Way.

The decades of data have an added bonus it helps confirm scientists theories about the size and behavior of the black hole itself.

This observational breakthrough strengthens the evidence that Sagittarius A* must be a supermassive black hole of 4 million times the mass of the sun, Genzel added.

READ MORE: Astronomers saw a star dancing around a black hole. And it proves Einsteins theory was right [CNN]

More on general relativity: New Theory Could Solve Universes Biggest Paradox

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A Star Is Circling a Black Hole and Its Orbit Is Absolutely Nuts - Futurism