Astronomers have made a significant discovery by identifying a binary star system, dubbed D9, orbiting close to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. This marks the first instance of a star pair found in such proximity to a black hole, challenging previous assumptions that extreme gravitational forces would preclude star formation. The discovery, reported by a team from various institutions using data from ESO’s Very Large Telescope, highlights that under harsh conditions, stellar pairs can survive and potentially form.
D9, estimated to be only 2.7 million years old, is likely to merge into a single star within the next million years, providing a limited opportunity to study its characteristics. The data revealed a periodic oscillation in the emitted light from hydrogen gas around D9, confirming its binary nature. The findings suggest that young stellar systems can form even near supermassive black holes, opening avenues for exploring the presence of planets in this environment. The study of D9 and the surrounding S cluster also raises questions about other mysterious objects in the region, potentially indicating they are remnants of binary stars or other stellar formations. Future upgrades to observational technology promise deeper insights into galactic centers.
