Supermassive Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way
Tue, Jan 27, 2009
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Milky Way Center
Image: NASA
Astronomers made a spectacular announcement in late fall, 2008. Suspected for several years, a massive black hole has been identified at the galactic center. Black holes are still difficult to understand. They are created by the gravitational collapse of the most massive stars. Some of the star’s material is blown away in a colossal explosion called a supernovae. Interior material implodes, the collapse only stopping when a black hole has been created, that entity of infinite mass and gravitational force that has no dimensions and no volume. The supermassive black hole of the Milky Way is in a region called Sagittarius A* that was only confirmed very recently. This massive black hole is small in size with a radius of less than 6.25 light hours. It is ‘massive’ because of the extraordinary amount of mass compacted into its small sphere, about 3.7 million solar masses. Research in the fall of 2008 reported that 95% of the mass of Saggittarius A* is in the supermassive black hole, so we can consider the two entities as equivalent. Super massive black holes may grow by capturing nearby stars, gas and dust and smaller black holes.
Sagittarius A*
Photo: NASA
In December 2008, results were announced from a very difficult observational effort that required 16 years to complete. Intense interest has also been focused on the stars that survive near to massive black holes because they have barely been able to avert catastrophe. Just beyond the black holes immense gravitations pull, these stars are surviving in a very extreme environment. Interstellar dust does not allow us to see the center of the Milky Way, so studies were done at infrared wavelengths. A team of German astronomers studied 28 stars at the Milky Way center in order to accurately determine the morphology of the massive black hole in Sagittarius A. The precision in tracking the orbits of these 28 stars at the galactic center in the last years of the study was equivalent to being able to see a 1 euro coin from 10,000 km distant. The stars closest to Saggitarius A* are not in defined orbits. They swarm like bees buzzing around a hive. Further away from the massive black hole, six stars are in defined orbits. One of them named S2, completed one orbit of Saggitarius A during the 16 year time period of this study. It is likely that the tidal forces of the massive black hole catalyzed the formation of these stars.
The next time you go star gazing, find the constellation of Sagittarius. You are now looking towards the center of the Milky Way. The massive black hole inside Saggitarious A* is invisible, but it is there, regulating star formation at the heart of the galaxy and slowly growing in size through the millennia. Will it eventually stop growing, or will this massive black hole gradually consume the entire galaxy? In the far, far future, will space travelers who (accidentally) find themselves at the center of the former large spiral galaxy called the Milky Way see nothing but wisps of interstellar gas? As they closely approach the galactic center, the outline of the giant black hole will become visible because of the violent atomic activity just beyond the boundary where matter is sucked in forever. Time to put the space ship in reverse and get away, the photographs will be stunning!
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“The only true currency in this bankrupt world is what you share with someone else.”
January 30th, 2009 at 5:10 am
For generations, the general coconscious was that the earth was the center of the universe. That every celestial body simply orbited the earth. This pattern of thinking was the result of a two-fold cultural influence: the first was beyond control. Observation of the sky’s, without advanced observational techniques, almost guaranteed the misinterpretation of data. Secondly, the influence of religious dogma’s encouraged a worldview in which mankind, made in the image of God, was the center of creation.
This recent discovery is just another example in a long line of scientific advancements that has placed Homo sapiens back into their proper sphere. Man is not the center of the universe, nor is the earth, in fact; earth occupies an insignificant space on the outer arm of our galaxy, which in turn is just one of thousands of other galaxies.
The beauty of this discovery is that it further reinforces our insignificant place in the universe. What is at the center of our galaxy? What is all this “creation” rotating around? A black hole (a collapsed star) literally sucks in and destroys its surroundings with utter disregard. Chaos and disorder are what guide the universe, not the hand and some divine being. Attempts by fundamentalist religious leaders to find order in the order less cosmos is once again defeated.
February 12th, 2009 at 10:58 am
COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF SCIENCE OF RELIGION (THEOLOGY)
I have written following two papers which may lead to the realization for a higher theory of everything:
(i) Gravitation Force is the Ultimate Creator,
(1st Int. Conf. on Revival of Traditional Yoga, Lonavla Yoga Institute, Lonavla, January, 2006)
(ii) In Scientific Terminology, Source of Gravitational Wave is God
(2nd World Congress on Vedic Science, BHU, Varanasi, Feb 2007)
I have presented these two papers at the two different International Conferences. I am now submitting some views for being considered for Unified Field Theory
From Scriptures: (Prem Patra by His Holiness Huzur Maharaj)
The Current which manifested in the beginning of the creation is the Current of Sabda (Sound) and of Chaitanya (Consciousness). From whom that Current issued forth is known as Soami (Supreme Being). This Current, by turning back can merge again in the Holy Feet of Supreme Being. The entire creation manifested from this current and is sustained with its energy and when the Current of the Holy Feet is withdrawn, the creation ceases to exist.This Current of the Holy Feet is the Reservoir of all energy, tastes and pleasures, knowledge, skill, shapes, forces and light etc. etc. and of the entire creation, is also the Creator of all of them.
From Science:
Gravitation Force is the cause of manifestation of the creation (birth of planets, stars), its sustenance and when it is withdrawn towards centre or source the entire creation ceases to exist. Photons have originated from gravitons. In black holes photons merge into gravitons. In Black Holes, Gravitational Force is so high that it does not allow even light to escape. What does it mean then? It simply means that the gravitational force at black-holes attracts light towards it with much greater velocity than the speed of light. In fact, all forces including electromagnetic force, material force (strong and weak nuclear force) all merge into gravitational force in black-holes and becomes one force there and when the creational process starts again from a Black-Hole all the forces appear (manifest) again and descends downwards to create billions of stars, planets, satellite, asteroids and various life forms.
Hence it can be assumed that the Current of Chaitanya (Consciousness) and Gravitational Wave are the two names of the same Supreme Essence (Seed) which has brought forth the entire creation.
February 27th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Although I cannot comment in detail at this time, I thank A.K. Satsangi very much for his contribution.
Bennett
June 24th, 2009 at 7:25 am
WHo knows what the hole in the milky way is called? I gotta know NOW!
October 26th, 2009 at 9:32 pm
And yet Courtney the sun rises, and the sun sets every day; like the clockwork of some grand architect of super-intelligence. Our planet exists in an almost infinitely small circumferential region relative to our sun that can support life. And we our completely conscious of this and learning more by the day. How is this chaos? How is this disorder? Be careful not to project your views of the great cosmos onto the ultimate reality at hand.