Black Hole found in Milky Way

[personalmgt]

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There is a giant black hole at the centre of our galaxy, a study has confirmed.

German astronomers tracked the movement of 28 stars circling the centre of the Milky Way, using the European Southern Observatory in Chile.

The black hole is four million times heavier than our Sun, according to the paper in The Astrophysical Journal.

Black holes are objects whose gravity is so great that nothing - including light - can escape them.

According to Dr Robert Massy, of the Royal Astronomical Society, the results suggest that galaxies form around giant black holes in the way that a pearl forms around grit.

Read more here: BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | Black hole found in Milky Way (i cutted the article so you people wont say "TOO LONG;DIDN'T READ")

Paging rodsky, where are you?

I knew it, it is indeed a black hole that is making this galaxy spinning.

[tingkoy13]

may gani wala koi nabasahan na tret sa earth about anang blackhole, dako raba jud kau...

[tools4kools]

yeah! i thought of it before that in every galaxy there might be something that make these group of stars bind together.

so, is this a threat or not?!?!

[rodsky]

You rang?

First off, this is an old theory. I'm not saying this is not newsworthy--the findings simply reinforce something already speculated on decades ago, which is good.

I'm just going to monitor "posting tone of voice" here...I mean if someone starts to post stuff like "OMG! Gigantic Black hole in center of galaxy! We're all doomed!" then that's the time to call me up. This is news, but not news in the "you should be worrying about this" flavor. If you should worry about a black hole, it's not the one at the center of the Milky Way (that's over 35,000 light years away)...you should worry more about Cygnus X1 which at 6,000 LY, is closer (but still, is NOT a cause for worry at all...worry more about crossing a busy road or finding your next job, those are REAL worries).

-RODION

[personalmgt]

Old theory it is. But it is now confirmed.

And i'm not being hysterical of the existence of a black hole near us. I don't really think its much of a threat. It's more of a significant finding for me rather than a threat. I'm not alarmed, i'm not scared. I just find this amusing

[brownprose]

I am no stranger to black holes. The one on Mango Avenue is proof of that.

Seriously...this is just so fascinating. Milky Way pa gyud...which means silingan ra gyud kaayo. Good to know that this sucker just stays there or do they roam around the galaxy? hmmmm...rodsky should know better.

[rodsky]

Old theory it is. But it is now confirmed.

And i'm not being hysterical of the existence of a black hole near us. I don't really think its much of a threat. It's more of a significant finding for me rather than a threat. I'm not alarmed, i'm not scared. I just find this amusing

I know your post had good intentions, and I thank you for posting that bit of info.

However, we are all too familiar with some people here who tend to "hype up" certain astronomical events to portray some kind of doomsday vision (i.e. remember that issue about Nibiru?). Doomsday-shmoomsmay...wa ba mo kabalo nga naa bitaw doomsday ang tanang tawo--ang adlaw sa inyong kamatayon intawon--kana ang doomsday natong tanan, so I wonder nganong fascinated kaayo ning ubang mga wlay lingaw sa sige nala'g hype-up sa mga simple astronomical events. *shakes head*

-RODION

[personalmgt]

if ever some of you didn't read the article in the link, here's the figures how far it is from earth:

The researchers from the Max-Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany said the black hole was 27,000 light years, or 158 thousand, million, million miles from the Earth.

EDIT: it isn't a hype either. depende nalang sa tawo kung unsa-on nila ug interpret ni. its either "ZOMG THIS IS NICE BECAUSE WE WILL FINALLY GET TO STUDY BLACK HOLES"(which is actually my perception to this thread) or "OM*G der be a gigantic black hole stuck in mah barn and we're gonna die LOLOLOL"(which is what you are talking about)

[rodsky]

I am no stranger to black holes. The one on Mango Avenue is proof of that.

Seriously...this is just so fascinating. Milky Way pa gyud...which means silingan ra gyud kaayo. Good to know that this sucker just stays there or do they roam around the galaxy? hmmmm...rodsky should know better.

Ok, let's go Astronomy 101 mode.

Go to the kitchen sink. Pour a pail full of soapy water into the lababo. Notice how the soapy water forms a spiraling shaped whirlpool around the hole of the lababo? BINGO...that's basically what the theory and those German scientists are suggesting--the shape of galaxies are due to the forces (whether by black holes or other massive celestial bodies) pulling stuff into its center, and yes personalmgt, your "hunch" was correct. I however, told this to myself when I was seven years old and was washing dishes, and noticed this phenomenon.

So basically yes, the gigantic ones stay in the middle...but there are smaller ones scattered around here and there (with Cygnus X-1 as my best example).

And that black hole in the center of our Milky Way is actually tiny compared to the ones in the center of elliptical galaxies...way, way, way larger, those guys are.

For further reading, check this:

Sagittarius A* - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(theory before the recent confirmation)

BTW, the title of the thread is a bit misleading...it should read "Massive Black Hole in Center of Milky Way Theory Confirmed". That is how a responsible astronomy buff should report info.

-RODION

[personalmgt]

I got the title from BBC's RSS Feed. Firefox users should know where to find the RSS Feeds