{
  "id": 3724486,
  "title": "Fastest star in the galaxy could unlock black hole secrets",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/27/fastest-star-in-the-galaxy-could-unlock-black-hole-secrets",
  "topic": "science",
  "section": "Science",
  "published": "2026-08-27T11:18:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "EarthSky",
    "slug": "earthsky",
    "url": "https://earthsky.org/space/fastest-star-in-the-galaxy-s301-black-hole-spin/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The fastest star in the Milky Way, dubbed S301, circles the supermassive black hole at the galaxy's core, Sagittarius A*, moving at over 8% the speed of light. This remarkable discovery, announced on August 19, 2026, could unlock the secrets of the black hole's spin, a long-standing mystery. S301's proximity to the black hole, only 12 Earth-sun distances away, provides a unique window into the extreme conditions of spacetime around it. Its elliptical orbit, taking just 8.7 years to complete, brings it as close as 12 AU to the black hole before speeding away again. Researchers from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have been tracking stars near Sagittarius A* for decades, and S301's orbit offers a rare opportunity to directly measure the black hole's spin. With further observations using the Extremely Large Telescope expected by 2030, scientists hope to confirm Einstein's theory of general relativity by measuring the black hole's spin.",
  "summary": "Astronomers have discovered the fastest star in the galaxy. It orbits the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy and could reveal its spin. The post Fastest star in the galaxy could unlock black hole secrets first appeared on EarthSky .",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}