Telescope spies the fastest star in the Milky Way zipping around a black hole

A telescope has spotted the fastest known star in the Milky Way. It’s zipping around the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. Scientists say it harnesses the power of the black hole’s gravity to fly faster without falling in. There are several hundred stars that closely orbit this black hole and are sensitive to its pull, but the newfound star also feels the effects of the black hole’s rotation. Studying how it moves could help clue scientists into the black hole’s mysterious properties, including its spin rate. The findings were published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *