Thirteen years ago, a mystery object spotted by astronomers may have made its way back to the mouth of the massive black hole in the middle of the Milky Way, according to Space.com.
A possible gas cloud called G1 was spotted in 2004 and it has most likely returned from an orbit around the black hole, also called Sagittarius A, to meet up with G2, which scientists have defined as a gas cloud. G2 is fairly close to the black hole. If G2 releases some of its material to the black hole, it would be a rare opportunity for scientists to watch a black hole "eat," according to Space.com.
Scientists at Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics believe G2 is absolutely a gas cloud, but Andrea Ghez, an astrophysicist at the University of California, Los Angeles has a different theory. In the summer, G2 got as close to the black hole as it had ever been without giving up any matter. Ghez believes that solidifies the theory that G2 is a solid mass, like a star surrounded by dust and gas, according to Space.com.
Scientists at Max Planck insist the gas cloud theory is still possible if G2 was once part of a larger gas cloud, according to Space.com. If other gas clouds are identified along the same path, like pearls on a string, the "beading" theory could indicate G2 is indeed a gas cloud. G1's composition could determine the final classification of G2.
"Already a decade ago, another gas cloud - which we now call G1 - has been observed in the central region of our galaxy," Stefan Gillessen, co-author on the new research, said in a statement. "We explored the connection between G1 and G2 and find an astonishing similarity in both orbits."
Max Planck created a computer model demonstrating how G1 is following the path of G2. "The good agreement of the model with the data renders the idea that G1 and G2 are part of the same gas streamer highly plausible," Gillessen said.
The new study has been accepted by "Astrophysical Journal," according to Space.com.
