Over the past few years, Astronomers have researched and scrutinized a cluster of stars in the universe. In their research, they have also discovered a monster that is killing the universe. In a recent study, the researchers have found a cluster, Omega Centauri, that contains about 10 million stars.
This monster is killing the universe
In a study that was released this year, Astronomers have analyzed a cluster of stars that is the apparent remnant core of a relatively small galaxy. It was swallowed by the sprawling Milky Way 8 to 10 billion years ago.
In their findings, the researchers said the unusual motion of seven stars in this cluster provides compelling evidence for the presence of an elusive mid-sized black hole at its heart.
“These are bigger than the class of ordinary black holes formed in the implosion of a single star but smaller than the behemoths residing at the nucleus of most galaxies,” reports VOA according to what the researchers said.
“The cluster, called Omega Centauri, contains about 10 million stars. The black hole within it is at least 8,200 times as massive as our sun.”
Based on the report by Voice of America, it said the “supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A* at the center of the Milky Way possesses 4 million times the mass of the sun.”
What the astronomers say about the universe
Maximilian Häberle of the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany is the lead author of the study that is published in the journal Nature, he argues that there has been a debate on black holes.
“There has been a long debate whether intermediate-mass black holes exist in general, and specifically in Omega Centauri, and our detection might help to resolve that debate,” he said.
“Intermediate-mass black holes have been suspected in the centers of low-mass galaxies or also in the center of certain star clusters. However, they have been very challenging to detect. Due to their lower mass with respect to supermassive black holes, their region of influence is small.”
This black hole is located about 17,700 light-years from Earth. What is a light-year? It is mentioned that this is the distance light travels in a year, 9.5 trillion kilometers. The Milky Way’s only larger-known black hole is Sagittarius A*, located about 26,700 light-years from Earth.
On top of that, the seasoned researchers also believe the smaller galaxy, which had been perhaps 10% the Milky Way’s size, harbored a black hole that, if left undisturbed, would have become supermassive as it fed off the gas and other nearby material drawn by its gravitational pull.
However, the galactic merger, which occurred when the Milky Way was about a quarter or third of its current age, left the black hole frozen in time.
“In this merger process, the galaxy lost all of its gas, and hence the growth of its central black hole got interrupted, leaving it in an intermediate-mass state,” added another astronomer from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy astronomer, Nadine Neumayer.
What are black holes?
Neumayer explained that there are other candidates for mid-sized black holes that were identified in previous research.
“The most likely scenario for the formation of the intermediate-mass black hole at the center of Omega Centauri is the collision and merging of very massive stars very early on during the formation of the star cluster,” added the study co-author.
“These stars get very close to each other, collide and form even more massive stars that evolve into black holes fairly rapidly. The intermediate-mass black hole can grow via the merger of several of these black holes.
“Intermediate-mass black holes are likely very common, especially in the early evolution of the universe. They are thought to be the seeds for supermassive black holes.”