Fastest Star Discovered Orbiting Milky Way Black Hole

Astronomers have detected an extraordinary star, designated S301, which is the fastest-known celestial body in our galaxy. This star is in a rapid orbit around Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way's center. S301 is approximately 50% more massive than our sun and shines five times brighter, traveling at speeds up to 56 million miles per hour, which is more than 8% the speed of light.

This record-breaking star follows a highly elliptical path, taking about 8.7 years to complete one orbit. Its closest approach to Sgr A* is roughly 11.5 astronomical units, while its farthest point extends to about 1,360 astronomical units. Sgr A* itself possesses about 4 million times the sun's mass and is located approximately 26,000 light-years from Earth.

Researchers believe S301 originated from a binary system that ventured too close to the black hole. A three-way gravitational interaction likely ejected one star and sent S301 into its current tight orbit. Scientists utilized the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope Interferometer for these observations.

The star's close passes to Sgr A* are expected to allow scientists to measure the black hole's spin, a property that twists space-time but is difficult to observe directly. By tracking subtle changes in S301's orbit over the next decade, astronomers aim to achieve this unprecedented measurement.