Our galaxy's center might not be a black hole: Study
A new study hints that the heart of our galaxy, long thought to be a supermassive black hole (Sagittarius A*), could actually be a dense clump of fermionic dark matter with a surrounding halo.
This fresh idea might explain some of the weird stuff astronomers have noticed near our galaxy's center.
Dark matter core theory
This dark matter core theory matches how stars zip around Sagittarius A*—some moving at 10% the speed of light—and also lines up with mysterious dust-shrouded objects nearby.
It even explains the rotation patterns seen by ESA's Gaia spacecraft and fits the Event Horizon Telescope image showing a glowing ring at our galaxy's center.
As lead author Valentina Crespi put it, this model "not only explains the orbits of stars and the galaxy's rotation but is also consistent with the famous 'black hole shadow' image" all in one go.
Next steps in the research
Astronomers plan to use the GRAVITY instrument on the Very Large Telescope to look for photon rings—a signature of black holes.
If they spot these rings, it supports the black hole idea; if not, it gives more weight to this bold new dark matter theory.
Stay tuned—the mystery at our galaxy's core isn't solved just yet!