Telescope spies the fastest star in the Milky Way zipping around a black hole

A telescope has captured the fastest known star in our galaxy, whizzing around the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way's core. This cosmic speedster is zipping around the black hole at speeds of approximately 15,534 miles per second, an astonishing 100,000 times faster than a commercial airplane. Astronomer Stefan Gillessen from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics described the star as "really, extremely fast."

The newly discovered star orbits the black hole at an incredibly close distance, completing a revolution in just 8.7 years. This is significantly closer than any other recorded star, allowing it to harness the black hole's gravity and maintain its blistering speed without being drawn in. Gillessen and his colleagues discovered the star in data collected by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile's Atacama Desert.

Their findings were published in the journal Nature. This star joins a group of several hundred other stars that closely orbit the massive black hole, all sensitive to its gravitational pull. Scientists have mapped the orbits of around 50 of these stars. The new star is 10 times closer to the black hole than the previous record holder, meaning it experiences the black hole's rotation more intensely.

Supermassive black holes are believed to reside at the center of almost every large galaxy. However, nothing can escape their immense gravity, not even light, making it extremely challenging for scientists to comprehend the inner workings of these cosmic entities. Studying stars like this one could provide valuable insights into the mysterious properties of supermassive black holes, such as their spinning speed.

Advanced telescopes are aiding in the detection of fainter stars that were previously undetectable, suggesting there could be even faster stars waiting to be discovered.