The Center of the Milky Way is Brimming with Black Holes?

 

A while back, scientists became aware of a massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. Recently, they discovered more black holes that have now entered into our growing body of knowledge. In fact, they may even have proof that they exist.

A team of researchers from Columbia University recently published the results of their study in the journal Nature. The findings show how almost a dozen black holes might be located near Sagittarius A. Here is also where the massive super black hole at the center of our galaxy can be found.

These latest findings seem to confirm a long-held theory, one about how this interesting phenomena sinks and accumulates in the center of the galaxies. To prove their theory, researchers began a search for these other black holes.

They had to study a wide variety of data, which was gathered by the Chandra X-ray Observatory. In doing this, the scientists identified more than a dozen characteristics. For example, they learned how a black hole was nearly impossible to uncover without the help of orbiting stars. Researchers used the X-ray emissions to detect the existence of a black hole.

In some cases, finding the emission turned into a task of heroic proportions because of how much dust and gas are located in the center of the Milky Way and space, in general. It’s the first time scientists have even uncovered such a large number of black holes clustered in a single location.

The research has turned into a breakthrough for science because it sheds light on how these exist within the universe. Not only that, but it also gives us a better concept of gravitational waves. This is because such waves have been known to collide with each other.

Finding black holes so close together might help astronomers explain why they have occurred in the way they do. All this information will lead to a growing body of scientific research that could eventually be used to benefit humankind.