An X-ray burst from a supermassive black hole in the center of our own Milky Way galaxy is the largest ever observed by astronomers. Experts are saying, however, that this unusual event is nothing to be concerned about, and poses no risk to life on Earth.
The Chandra X-Ray Telescope detected the release of energy from the our galaxy's central black hole, believed to have a mass 4.5 million times greater than that of the Sun. That outburst, 400 times greater than the energy normally associated with the galactic black hole, was recorded by the observatory in September 2013.
Astronomers do not know what event may have triggered this energetic outburst, although two theories are currently popular among researchers studying the event.
One theory states the outburst was caused by magnetic lines tangling near the black hole, releasing the X-rays, in a manner similar to that seen in flares produced on the surface of the sun.
The second idea states that a large asteroid spiraled into the black hole, shattering just before crossing the event horizon (the point of no return). This could have superheated the material, releasing the observed X-ray emissions.
"If an asteroid was torn apart, it would go around the black hole for a couple of hours - like water circling an open drain - before falling in. That's just how long we saw the brightest X-ray flare last, so that is an intriguing clue for us to consider," Fred Baganoff of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) said.
Astronomers were studying the galactic black hole to examine how it reacted to a neighboring gas cloud known as G2, when the outburst was recorded. The closest approach of G2 to the supermassive black hole took place in Spring of 2014, at a distance of 15 billion miles. This was roughly six months after the X-ray outburst was seen, suggesting the two events were not likely related to one another. A magnetar, a neutron star possessing an extremely powerful magnetic field, was also observed radiating vast amounts of X-rays into surrounding space.
Sagittarius A* (SgrA*, pronounced "Sagittarius A-star"), the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, cannot be seen in visible light, due to vast quantities of galactic dust blocking our view. The object was discovered by a pair of radio astronomers in February 1974.
"Such rare and extreme events give us a unique chance to use a mere trickle of infalling matter to understand the physics of one of the most bizarre objects in our galaxy," Gabriele Ponti of the Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics in Germany, stated in a NASA press release.
