S301: Fastest Star in Milky Way Discovered Orbiting Supermassive Black Hole
- Astronomers have recorded the fastest star ever detected in the Milky Way, a celestial body designated as S301, as it plunged past the supermassive black hole at the...
- Scientists first captured the high-speed star in 2023 by utilizing the GRAVITY high-resolution optical beam-combiner instrument, which operates alongside the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) managed by the...
- What separates S301 from previously cataloged stars is an exceptionally tight and compressed orbit around the galactic center.
Astronomers have recorded the fastest star ever detected in the Milky Way, a celestial body designated as S301, as it plunged past the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy on August 19, according to coverage from TNN Tech. The discovery marks a milestone in astrophysical research, capturing a star hurtling through space at a staggering velocity of 15,500 miles per second, which translates to roughly 25,000 kilometers per second. According to TNN Tech, this extreme speed accounts for more than 8 percent of the speed of light.
Detection via European Southern Observatory Instruments
Scientists first captured the high-speed star in 2023 by utilizing the GRAVITY high-resolution optical beam-combiner instrument, which operates alongside the Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) managed by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile, as reported by TNN Tech. To confirm the extreme velocity and map the trajectory with absolute precision, the research team conducted a deep retrospective analysis. They compared the 2023 observations against archival data gathered during earlier monitoring campaigns conducted in 2017 and 2021.
Extreme Orbital Mechanics Around Sagittarius A*
What separates S301 from previously cataloged stars is an exceptionally tight and compressed orbit around the galactic center. According to TNN Tech, the star requires just 8.7 Earth years to complete a single revolution around the supermassive black hole. During the periapsis of its orbit—the point where the star swings closest to the gravitational pull of Sagittarius A*—S301 sweeps past at a distance spanning only 12 times the distance between Earth and the sun, roughly equivalent to 12 astronomical units.