Scientists solve the mystery of 'odd-looking' blob being sucked into our galaxy's black hole
The mysterious blob named X7 circling our Milky Way's supermassive black hole
A mysterious blob named X7 that has been drifting towards the centre of Milky Way's supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* could be the debris of two colliding stars, a recent study has found.
For decades, the mystery of the blob, which has a mass of around 50 Earths, has surprised astronomers. However, after analysing 20 years' worth of observations, a team of scientists at the University of California have unravelled the secret.
The scientists posited that when two stars collided in the relatively recent past, they spewed a cloud of burning plasma that later metamorphosed into the giant blob as we observe it today.
"No other object in this region has shown such an extreme evolution. It started off comet-shaped and people thought maybe it got that shape from stellar winds or jets of particles from the black hole," said Anna Ciurlo, one of the lead authors of the study.
"X7 could be the dust and gas ejected from a merged star that's still out there somewhere," she added.
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It is not uncommon for a black hole to engulf the remnants of other stars in its vicinity. The X7 blob is on a 170-year-long elliptical orbit around the black hole at the minute. However, its orbit may not last long as the powerful gravity of the black hole may rip it apart, before swallowing it whole, in the next few decades.
"We anticipate the strong tidal forces exerted by the galactic black hole will ultimately tear X7 apart before it completes even one orbit," said Mark Morris,co-author of the study.
Read more: Chaos in Milky Way? Stars forming at greater pace than previously thought, study shows
The scientists will be closely monitoring the fate of the 'odd-looking' blob over the coming years. The object gives a fascinating insight into the dynamics of our home galaxy's centre.
Stellar collisions and the subsequent effect of extreme gravity on it can help scientists understand the secrets of universe.
(With inputs from agencies)
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