216
Scientists have suggested that there may not be a supermassive black hole hiding in the center of our galaxy. But what then takes its place?
According to a recent study, the observed orbits of stars in the galactic center, as well as the orbital velocities of stars in the outer regions of the galaxy, would be easier to explain if the heart of the Milky Way were a dark matter core rather than a black hole.
But where did such a strange hypothesis come from?
In the last two decades, the star S2 has been studied closely. It is in a 16-year orbit around the galactic center – a long elliptical loop that has become an excellent test of general relativity. It was proved that the theory of relativity is preserved in the galactic center of space-time.
But then a new object called G2 appeared. Following the same long elliptical orbit, G2 behaved strangely. In 2014, it passed the pericenter (closest point to the predicted black hole) and changed its shape from spherical to elongated, before contracting back into a sphere.
Such a strange passage of the pericenter indicates drag, which, according to a group of astrophysicists led by Eduardo Antonio Becerra-Vergara of the International Center for Relativistic Astrophysics, should not occur near a black hole.
The researchers then looked at 17 stars orbiting the galactic center (S-stars), and you won't guess what they discovered.
According to their calculations, there may be a dense clump of dark matter in the center of the Milky Way, which thins to a diffuse concentration closer to the outskirts of the galaxy.
Scientists also assume that when the critical mass is exceeded, a clump of dark matter could collapse into a supermassive black hole. This would help explain how supermassive black holes appear in the first place.
