The Milky Way’s central black hole has some young stars orbiting around it, which is quite unusual. Normally, stars that orbit a supermassive black hole are expected to be dim and ancient. However, an international team of researchers led by astrophysicist Florian Peißker of the University of Cologne has discovered some clumps of dust and gas near the black hole that could potentially be hiding young stellar objects (YSOs).
These YSOs are shrouded by a haze of gas and dust and are even younger than a group of bright stars known as the S-stars that are already orbiting the black hole. The researchers ruled out the possibility of these objects being coreless clouds in the high-energy radiation field of the black hole. By analyzing the objects’ chemical properties and emissions, they concluded that they are likely young stars that have not yet developed into main sequence stars.
One particular object, G2/DSO, was used as a case study to understand these dusty objects better. The researchers found that these objects could not be gaseous clouds without any objects inside to hold them together, as they would evaporate quickly due to the intense heat near the black hole. The team also ruled out the possibility of the objects being compact planetary nebulae or binary stars.
Further observations revealed that some of the dusty objects are nascent stars, while others are still unidentified but show stellar characteristics. These objects are believed to have formed together in molecular clouds that eventually migrated towards the black hole. The researchers speculate that these dusty sources may evolve into low-mass S stars in the future.
The discovery of these young stars near the Milky Way’s central black hole challenges existing theories about star formation in such extreme environments. Understanding how these stars formed and migrated towards the black hole could provide valuable insights into the evolution of stars in galactic centers. This study opens up new possibilities for studying star formation processes near supermassive black holes and their impact on the surrounding environment. Further research and observations are needed to unravel the mysteries of these young stars and their connection to the black hole at the heart of our galaxy.
