AI Insight
The star S301 orbits extremely close to Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Scientists believe that by precisely tracking S301's motion as it makes its closest approach to the black hole, they may be able to measure the black hole's spin for the first time. The star's trajectory would be affected by frame-dragging, a relativistic effect caused by the rotating black hole twisting spacetime around it.
Why it matters
Measuring the spin of Sagittarius A* would provide crucial information about how our galaxy's central black hole formed and evolved over billions of years. This measurement would also serve as a test of Einstein's general relativity in one of the most extreme gravitational environments accessible to observation.
Understand the Science
The star S301 swoops so close to our galaxy’s supermassive black hole that it could, for the first time ever, reveal that dark behemoth’s rotation
Source: The Milky Way’s Fastest Star Could Expose Our Black Hole’s Spin