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S301

All articles tagged with #s301

astronomy2 days ago•16 min saved

New star S301 completes an 8.7-year orbit around Sagittarius A*, edging toward measuring the Milky Way's black hole spin

Astronomers using GRAVITY+ have identified S301, a faint star on an 8.7-year orbit around the Milky Way’s central black hole Sagittarius A*, passing within about 136–142 Schwarzschild radii at roughly 25,000 km/s (≈8% of light). The current data cannot yet measure the black hole’s spin, and the orbit has two mirror solutions due to the lack of radial velocity. Forecasts show that with improved astrometry and spectroscopy—potentially by 2035–2036 under optimistic conditions—a spin constraint could be detected with high significance, though a robust result will require more data and second post-Newtonian modelling.

via Space Daily|

#astronomy #black-hole-spin #frame-dragging

space11 days ago•7 min saved

Star S301 races the Milky Way’s black hole at 8% lightspeed

Astronomers have identified S301, a faint main‑sequence star on an 8.7‑year, highly eccentric orbit around the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, reaching speeds up to 25,000 km/s (about 0.08c) at pericenter. This motion probes relativistic effects and could reveal the spin of Sgr A*, with S301 likely a captured binary via the Hills mechanism.

via Boing Boing|

#astronomy #black-hole #relativity

space11 days ago•5 min saved

S301: A Lightning-quick Pass Near Sagittarius A* Tests Black Hole Physics

Astronomers have identified S301, a star orbiting extremely close to the Milky Way's central black hole, Sagittarius A*, reaching about 15,500 miles per second (roughly 55.8 million mph)—the fastest speed ever observed and the closest approach to the black hole to date. Its extreme proximity allows direct tests of relativistic effects, such as frame-dragging (Lense-Thirring), with upcoming measurements from facilities like the Gravity instrument on the VLT and MICADO on the ELT over the next decade.

via CNET|

#black-hole #frame-dragging #lense-thirring

space15 days ago•169 min saved

Closest star yet tests gravity around Milky Way’s monster black hole

Using ESO’s GRAVITY instrument at the VLT, astronomers have found S301, a faint star at the Milky Way’s center on the closest, fastest orbit around Sagittarius A*. With an 8.7-year period, it swings within about 12 astronomical units of the black hole at pericenter, racing at roughly 55 million mph (about 0.008c). Tracked across eight years in 19 positions, the star shows strong general-relativistic effects such as Schwarzschild precession, and within a decade could enable a direct measurement of the black hole’s spin. S301 likely originated from a disrupted binary, and its discovery boosts tests of gravity in extreme fields while hinting at many more such stars detectable with GRAVITY+.

via Live Science|

#black-hole-spin #gravity-instrument #s301

space16 days ago•158 min saved

Milky Way's fastest star rockets around Sagittarius A* at 8% light speed

Astronomers have identified S301, the Milky Way’s fastest star, racing around the galaxy’s supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* at about 15,500 miles per second (over 8% of light). Its tight 8.7-year orbit, roughly 12 AU from the black hole, offers a novel way to probe Sagittarius A*’s spin and test general relativity via frame dragging, using the GRAVITY instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer. The discovery, reported in Nature, could allow direct measurements of the black hole’s spin within a decade as researchers continue to monitor two full orbits; S301 may have been captured from a binary system.

via Space|

#frame-dragging #gravity #s301

science16 days ago•8 min saved

Star S301’s Race Around Sgr A* Could Reveal Black Hole Spin and Test Relativity

Astronomers using the GRAVITY+ instrument have tracked star S301 in an ultra-tight, 8.7-year orbit around the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole Sgr A*, reaching peak speeds over 25,000 km/s (about 15,500 miles/s, ~8% of light speed). The extreme motion near pericenter exposes frame-dragging and spacetime curvature, offering a path to measure Sgr A*’s spin and test the no-hair theorem of black holes, with continued observations through 2031 and future ELT instruments like MICADO.

via ScienceAlert|

#black-hole #frame-dragging #no-hair-theorem

science16 days ago•6 min saved

Star S301's near-miss with Sagittarius A* could unlock the Milky Way's black-hole spin

Astronomers using the GRAVITY instrument on the Very Large Telescope have identified S301, a star on an extremely eccentric orbit that dives to within about 11 AU of the Milky Way's central black hole, Sgr A*. At its closest it speeds around 0.08c, offering a rare opportunity to measure the black hole's spin and to probe its geometry and other properties with future observations.

via Ars Technica|

#astronomy #black-hole-spin #gravity

space16 days ago•2 min saved

S301: Milky Way’s Fastest Star Skims the Central Black Hole

Astronomers have found S301, the Milky Way’s fastest star, zooming around the central black hole Sagittarius A* at about 25,000 km/s on a tight 8.7-year orbit, coming within roughly 12 AU of the hole. Its extreme proximity could enable a direct measurement of the black hole’s spin and a stringent test of Einstein’s general relativity, using the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer to track the orbit back to 2017 and observe the 2031 pericentre passage; spin measurements could come within a decade.

via The Guardian|

#black-hole-spin #general-relativity #s301

space1 month ago•3 min saved

Relativity Goes Extreme: Star S301 Dances Close to the Milky Way’s Black Hole

Astronomers have found star S301, a Sun-like star in the highly elliptical 8.7-year orbit around the Milky Way’s central supermassive black hole Sag A*, approaching within about 24 AU at closest approach and reaching speeds near 0.08c. The orbit shows relativistic precession of about 2° per pass, along with gravitational redshift and transverse Doppler effects, enabling tests of general relativity and potential constraints on alternative gravity theories. While dust and faintness hinder spectral data today, future observatories like the Giant Magellan Telescope could measure higher-order relativistic effects, further probing gravity near a black hole.

via Universe Today|

#black-hole #orbital-precession #relativity