Observational data published in scientific journals or by major astronomical institutions

Astronomers Discover Binary Star System D9 Near Sagittarius A* at Milky Way's Center, First Time Detected

Dec 18, 2024, 04:11 PM

Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery of a binary star system, designated D9, orbiting near Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. This marks the first time such a stellar pair has been detected in close proximity to the black hole, challenging previous assumptions about star formation in extreme gravitational environments. The discovery was facilitated by an international team of researchers and reported in a paper published in Nature Communications. The finding opens new avenues for understanding the dynamics of star systems in the vicinity of supermassive black holes and their implications for galactic evolution.