Published 17:34 IST, October 7th 2019
Study says Centre of Milky Way exploded just over 3 million years ago
According to a study, a supermassive black hole in the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy, also named Sagittarius A or SgrA*, exploded 3.5 million years ago
According to a study, a supermassive black hole in the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy exploded 3.5 million years ago. The black hole is also named as Sagittarius A, or Sgr A* (pronounced Sagittarius A-star). It is about 4.2 million times bigger than the Sun, and it exploded due to nuclear activities, according to a team of scientists at Australia's ARC Centre of Excellence for All-Sky Astrophysics in 3 Dimensions (ASTRO 3-D).
A Seyfert flare created two huge 'ionization cones' of radiation
The burst is known as a Seyfert flare which resulted in creating two huge 'ionization cones' of radiation which flared to both poles of the galaxy and out into deep space. The researchers reported that the flare was so powerful that it impacted Magellanic Stream - a long trail of gas extending from nearby dwarf galaxies called the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds. According to the Australian-US research team, it lies at an average 200,000 light-years from the Milky Way.
The explosion occurred some 3.5 million years ago
The explosion occurred some 3.5 million years ago, according to the researchers who used data gathered by the Hubble Space Telescope. Researchers said that in galactic terms this is surprisingly recent. Professor Lisa Kewley, Director of ASTRO 3-D said it is a very dramatic event that happened a few million years ago in the history of Milky Way. She said a massive blast of energy and radiation came right of the galactic centre and into the surrounding material. She added that it was lucky that humans don't reside there. The study follows a 2013 research, additionally driven by Bland-Hawthorn, which precluded an atomic starburst as the reason for the gigantic explosive occasion. It had connected the occasion to movement in SgrA*. The researchers noted that more research needs to be done on how black holes evolve, influence and interact with galaxies.
(with inputs from PTI)
Updated 21:31 IST, October 7th 2019