Evidence found for mid-sized black hole near center of Milky Way

[Binary_Bark]

A team of researchers with Keio University in Japan has found evidence of a mid-sized black hole near the center of the Milky Way galaxy. In their paper published in the journal Nature Astronomy, the group describes their study of a gas cloud cluster near the center of our galaxy and why they believe it offers evidence of a mid-sized black hole.

Over the years, scientists have found a lot of physical evidence of large and small black holes, but very little evidence for those in the mid-size range. This has led to an intense search, which until now, has come up mostly empty—mid-size black holes are exceedingly difficult to spot.

The team reports that last year, they discovered a gas cloud near the center of the Milky Way that appeared to behave in odd ways—some of the gasses were moving faster than others. The cloud, named CO-0.40-0.22, was intriguing because not only did it represent the possibility of finding an intermediate black hole, but it could also explain how massive black holes come to exist at the centers of galaxies, such as our own Milky way.

The team originally spotted the gas cloud using the Nobeyama radio telescope in Japan—but to learn more about what they had found required something bigger, so they ventured to Chile, where they gained access to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. The researchers found that there was a dense part of the gas cloud near its center that also showed varying velocities. Better yet, just next to the clump, they found a source of radio waves that was very similar to those generated from the giant black hole at the center of Milky Way, but 500 times weaker. The two findings together suggested very strongly the presence of a mid-sized black hole. To add further evidence, the researchers built a simulation of the gas cloud and its characteristics, particularly the gas velocities, and found that it, too, pointed to a mid-sized black hole.

These findings offer strong evidence of a mid-sized black hole, though it is not clear how it might have come to that location. But as more research is done and the find is confirmed, the mid-sized black hole could explain how giant black holes at the centers of galaxies are formed—by swallowing nearby mid-sized black holes, perhaps.

Read more at: https://phys.org/news/2017-09-evidence-mid-sized-black-hole-center.html#jCp

 

[etienne_marais]

Seems there may have been a previous dwarf galaxy colliding with the milky way if I understand this article correctly:

https://www.space.com/12952-milkyway-galaxy-shape-galactic-crash.html

It does not mention black holes, but as I have it black holes form from massive stars imploding , possible that galaxy collisions facilitate this somehow ?

 

[DMNknight]

Black holes are a bit of a misnomer I think. I think it's the point where there is so much matter in one place that the inner most atoms literally start getting crushed. The 98% "space" between the electrons an nucleus being diminished under the crushing weight.

With enough mass, there's a crap load of gravity so time also gets distorted.

Put enough tins can on a heap and you will find that eventually the centremost ones will get crushed. Similar scenario. Theoretically.

Therefore "hole" is not so much a hole as a point in space where atoms exist in 1 dimension.... just a thought.

I always thought the centre of a milkyway/galaxy would be some kind of megastar, but a black hole or singularity makes a lot of sense.