US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — Scientists have discovered something strange emanating from the center of the Milky Way galaxy: a previously unknown signal that, in their opinion, comes from a supermassive black hole in the center of our galaxy.
Researchers at Keio University believe the signal is caused by the accretion disk around the black hole flashing up and emitting extremely powerful radiation, according to a study published last month in The Astrophysical Journal Letters – a look at the unimaginable chaos in the core of our galaxy.
Flickering signals are not entirely new – scientists previously discovered larger and smaller flashes. But thanks to the Atacama Large Millimeter / Submillimeter Array (ALMA), scientists can detect more weak signals than ever before.
“This radiation may be due to some exotic phenomena occurring in the immediate vicinity of the supermassive black hole,” said University professor Keio Tomoharu Oka.
The oscillations are likely due to the rapid rotation of the gas around the black hole, which may help explain why it is so difficult to observe the direct source.
“In general, the faster the movement, the more difficult it is to photograph the object,” said Oka.
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