Scientists finally confirm the Milky Way has a supermassive black hole.

[Nokra]

http://www.astronomy.com/news/2018/10/scientists-confirm-the-milky-way-has-a-supermassive-black-hole

 

Researchers used the European Southern Observatory’s sensitive GRAVITY instrument on the Very Large Telescope (VLT) to observe infrared radiation flares coming from the accretion disc around Sagittarius A* — the massive object at the center of our galaxy. Scientists think that most galaxies have a supermassive black hole at their center, but they’d never before had the data and observations to prove it.

 

I find it simultaneously extremely humbling that it took until 2018 to prove that this exists in our own cosmic backyard, while also finding it incredibly inspiring. 

 

Space, you so crazy.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

I always just assumed that all spiral-arm galaxies have a black hole at their galactic center.

 

Catch up to me, astrophysicists!

[Littleronin]

I kind of thought the same thing. It just seems like a plausible idea by the look of the galaxies. 

[Boyle5150]

1 hour ago, SFLUFAN said:

I always just assumed that all spiral-arm galaxies have a black hole at their galactic center.

 

Catch up to me, astrophysics!

Scientists think that most galaxies have a supermassive black hole at their center, but they’d never before had the data and observations to prove it. 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

8 minutes ago, Boyle5150 said:

Scientists think that most galaxies have a supermassive black hole at their center, but they’d never before had the data and observations to prove it. 

I did read that, however, it just seemed kinda "obvious" that this would be most clearly observable in a spiral-arm galaxy.  

[Boyle5150]

6 minutes ago, SFLUFAN said:

I did read that, however, it just seemed kinda "obvious" that this would be most clearly observable in a spiral-arm galaxy.  

Well I suppose “obvious” is dependent on just how knowledgeable we are.  

[Boyle5150]

There is a difference between what we know and what we believe we know.  

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Just now, Boyle5150 said:

There is a difference between what we know and what we believe we know.  

I goddamned well KNEW there were supermassive black holes at the center of spiral-arm galaxies!  What I didn't know was the existence of supermassive black holes in non spiral-arm galaxies!

 

[Boyle5150]

1 minute ago, SFLUFAN said:

I goddamned well KNEW there were supermassive black holes at the center of spiral-arm galaxies!  What I didn't know was the existence of supermassive black holes in non spiral-arm galaxies!

 

?

[SuperSpreader]

Eat us please

[outsida]

I can’t wait for the Event Horizon Telescopes to produce the first image of SagA*

[SuperSpreader]

1 minute ago, outsida said:

I can’t wait for the Event Horizon Telescopes to produce the first image of SagA*

wat

[legend]

Confirm is a weird word. There was plenty of evidence before--it wasn't some wild hairbrained idea scientists had. This is simply even more and very strong evidence to support it. 

 

Cool nonetheless. 

[Spawn_of_Apathy]

Couldn't they have just looked at pictures of the galaxy? Looked like a blackhole to me.

[outsida]

16 hours ago, 2user1cup said:

wat

There is a radio telescope collaboration that ongoing that’s trying to produce an image of the black hole in the center of our galaxy. Because it’s so far away they need a telescope with the area of earth. That’s why they are using several radio telescopes spread across the globe.