Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile’s Atacama Desert have discovered the fastest known star in the Milky Way, a cosmic speedster racing around the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy at approximately 15,534 miles per second (25,000 kilometers per second), according to findings published in the journal Nature.
Record-Breaking Velocity and Close Orbit
The newly identified star travels at speeds roughly 100,000 times faster than a commercial airplane, according to data detailed by the Associated Press. Stefan Gillessen, an astronomer with the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics who worked on the discovery, noted the exceptional velocity of the object, stating that the star is “really, extremely fast.”
It completes a full revolution in just 8.7 years.
Probing the Spin of Sagittarius A*
The star orbits 10 times closer to the black hole than the previous record-holding star, placing it directly within a zone where it feels the distinct effects of the black hole’s rotation. Scientists have mapped the orbits of about 50 stars out of several hundred that closely orbit the giant black hole and remain sensitive to its gravitational forces.
Because supermassive black holes trap all surrounding matter and light, direct observation of their internal mechanics remains impossible.
Future Discoveries in the Galactic Center
Advanced telescope technology allows researchers to detect fainter stars that previously evaded observation, suggesting that even faster stellar objects may orbit near the galactic center. Tuan Do, an astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved in the research, described the finding as “just the tip of the iceberg,” adding that further observations targeting fainter light will likely reveal many more stars with similar high-speed orbits.
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