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Milky Way’s central black hole is generating massive bursts of energy
- Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have observed Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, showing its unpredictable bursts of energy.
- The black hole, with a mass of four million times that of the Sun, is surrounded by an accretion disk that fuels its chaotic activity across various wavelengths.
- Sagittarius A* is unique in its continuous flaring activity, ranging from faint flickers to intense eruptions, never reaching a steady state.
- The recent study highlights the random nature of the flares and raises questions about the processes driving this variability.
- Observations revealed that Sagittarius A* produced multiple major flares per day, with no clear pattern or repetition in their variability.
- The emissions from the black hole are suspected to result from disturbances in the accretion disk and magnetic reconnection events within its extreme environment.
- Magnetohydrodynamic simulations suggest that changes in magnetic field strength and plasma density contribute to the dynamic behavior of Sagittarius A*.
- The study using JWST’s NIRCam unveiled delays between emissions at different wavelengths, providing insights into particles' energy loss around the black hole.
- Future observations aim to uncover hidden patterns in the black hole's activity and refine understanding of its variability.
- The research on Sagittarius A* offers valuable insights into supermassive black holes, showcasing advancements in observational astronomy and understanding extreme cosmic phenomena.
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