ALMA Spots Star Formation Dangerously Close to our Galaxy's Supermassive Black Hole

A supermassive black hole exists at the center of our Milky Way Galaxy, about 27,000 light-years away in the direction of the constellation Sagittarius. Now, astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have discovered signs of a star formation perilously close to it. This could be the first time that such a formation has been observed so close to the galactic center.

The findings, published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, came after ALMA spotted jets of material bursting out of what appeared to be dense cocoons of gas and dust--the telltale signs of a young star formation. In all, ALMA used only 12 of its eventual full complement of 66 antennas.

Finding a star formation isn't unusual. Finding it so close to a black hole, however, is. Researchers believe that it's extremely difficult for stars to form near a supermassive black hole since the gravity of the black hole produces extreme tidal forces that would stretch and elongate molecular clouds. This stretching would prevent them from ever accumulating enough mass to trigger star formation.

Stars form when masses of material clump together and collapse into an ever denser mass. This mass then begins to rotate faster and faster, accelerating some of the material and shooting it out into space. Yet with the inhospitable conditions next to the supermassive black hole, this scenario seemed unlikely to occur.

This new finding, though, seems to hint that the patches of dust and gas became so dense that they were able to overcome the gravity. It's possible that clouds collided together, passing the critical threshold that allows internal gravity to take over and eventually leads to the birth of a new star.

"Though the question of stars near the galactic center is still open ended, ALMA will definitely have the power and sensitivity to shed more light on the mystery," said Al Wootten, an ALMA project scientists, in a news release. "These latest studies do suggest that the conditions necessary for star formation could extend much closer to the galactic center than we previously believed."

The new finding could allow researchers to better understand star formation and learn exactly where these young stars can survive.