Milky Way’s supermassive black hole tagged posts

Infant stars, like those recently identified near the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy, are surrounded by a swirling disk of dust and gas. In this artist’s conception of infant solar system, the young star pulls material from its surroundings into rotating disk (right) and generates outflowing jets of material (left). Credit: Bill Saxton (NRAO/AUI/NSF)

Earliest phase of star formation ever observed in highly hostile environment. ALMA has revealed the telltale signs of 11 low-mass stars forming perilously close – within 3 light-years – to the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*). At this distance, tidal forces driven by the supermassive black hole should be energetic enough to rip apart clouds of dust and gas before they can form stars.

The presenc...