(ORDO NEWS) — The object, previously identified as a gas and dust cloud near the center of our galaxy, is actually made up of three very young stars.
This result was reached by a group of new scientists after observations carried out with the help of a very large telescope. These stars began to form less than 1 million years ago, which is a very short time span in astronomical terms. By comparison, our Sun is less than 5 billion years old.
In 2011, this object was discovered as a result of analysis of data collected in the infrared range using the Very Large Telescope. Scientists suggested that this object is a gas and dust cloud and gave it the name G2. However, this cloud showed a number of unusual properties.
So, according to forecasts, when a cloud collided with a black hole Sagittarius A * of our Galaxy, a powerful outbreak should have occurred, which was not actually observed. In addition, the temperature of the cloud did not increase as it approached the black hole, but remained constant for a long time – and quite high, compared to other clouds of gas and dust observed nearby.
Now, new observations made with the Very Large Telescope observatory have made it possible to consider three point sources – young stars – in place of the cloud. The presence of the luminaries allows us to explain all the above-mentioned inconsistencies, the authors of the study explained.
The work was published in the Astrophysical Journal; lead author Florian Peissker.
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