Astronomers Find Four Strange New Objects in the Center of the Milky Way

The dust-shrouded objects may be binary stars merging as they orbit the supermassive black hole in our galaxy's core.

By Erika K. Carlson
Jan 17, 2020 4:00 PMJan 17, 2020 4:18 PM
GalacticCenterGObjects
An illustration of the orbital paths of the six known G-objects around the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way. (Credit: Anna Ciurlo, Tuan Do/UCLA Galactic Center Group)

Newsletter

Sign up for our email newsletter for the latest science news
 

Astronomers have discovered four new and mysterious objects orbiting the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*. The bizarre objects look a lot like common clouds of gas and dust, but they surprisingly manage to stay compact like stars as they run laps around our galaxy's gargantuan black hole.

The quartet of new objects share striking similarities with two others, dubbed G1 and G2, that were found in the past 15 years or so. This has led researchers to conclude the four new bodies likely belong to the same class of objects as G1 and G2, which are simply referred to as G-sources or G-objects.

0 free articles left
Want More? Get unlimited access for as low as $1.99/month

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

0 free articlesSubscribe
Discover Magazine Logo
Want more?

Keep reading for as low as $1.99!

Subscribe

Already a subscriber?

Register or Log In

Stay Curious

Sign up for our weekly newsletter and unlock one more article for free.

 

View our Privacy Policy


Want more?
Keep reading for as low as $1.99!


Log In or Register

Already a subscriber?
Find my Subscription

More From Discover
Recommendations From Our Store
Shop Now
Stay Curious
Join
Our List

Sign up for our weekly science updates.

 
Subscribe
To The Magazine

Save up to 40% off the cover price when you subscribe to Discover magazine.

Copyright © 2024 Kalmbach Media Co.