New observations show that the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way does not consume nearby dust objects as previously thought.
Near the heart of the Milky Way, where the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* bends nearby space with immense gravity, astronomers have been watching several strange dusty objects for signs of destruction. Earlier studies suggested that some of them might be stretched apart and swallowed. New observations now show a different outcome.
An international research team led by PD Dr Florian Peißker at the University of Cologne used ERIS (Enhanced Resolution Imager and Spectrograph) at the Very Large Telescope (VLT) facility in Chile to track these objects in detail. The data show that several dusty objects are following stable paths around Sagittarius A*, the black hole at the center of our galaxy. The results were published in Astronomy & Astrophysics.
Dusty objects appear more stable
The study examined four unusual objects that have attracted debate in recent years. One of the best-known, G2, was long interpreted as a simple cloud of dust and gas. Under that idea, the gravity of Sagittarius A* should have pulled it into an elongated shape through a process known as ‘spaghettification’ before tearing it apart.
ERIS, which observes near-infrared radiation, instead shows that G2 remains on a stable orbit. That behavior suggests the dusty cloud likely hides a star inside it. The finding points to a galactic center that is not only capable of destroying objects, but also of preserving them in unexpectedly stable motion.
The same pattern appears in other objects. D9, a binary star system discovered by Peißker and his team in 2024, is still intact despite the extreme tidal forces near the black hole. It is the first known binary star system observed so close to a supermassive black hole. In theory, those two stars could merge into one larger star under such intense gravity, but the ERIS data so far show that D9 has survived. Objects X3 and X7 also continue to move on stable orbits, making them more durable than earlier models suggested.
Black holes can also preserve
“The fact that these objects move in such a stable manner so close to a black hole is fascinating,” says Florian Peißker. “Our results show that Sagittarius A* is less destructive than was previously thought. This makes the center of our galaxy an ideal laboratory for studying the interactions between black holes and stars.”
The findings suggest that the Milky Way’s center is more complicated than a region where black holes simply tear matter apart. “The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way has not only the capability to destroy stars but it can also stimulate their formation or the formation of pretty exotic dusty objects, most likely via mergers of stellar binaries,” says Michal Zajaček from Masaryk University in Brno (Czech Republic).
Future observations with ERIS and the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), which is currently under construction, should allow astronomers to keep following these objects as they evolve. Those observations could help explain how stars and dusty stellar systems survive in one of the most extreme environments in the universe.
Reference: “Closing the gap: Follow-up observations of peculiar dusty objects close to Sgr A* using ERIS” by F. Peißker, M. Zajaček, V. Karas, V. Pavlík, E. Bordier, L. Šubr, J. Haas, M. Melamed, L. Großekathöfer, N. Schmökel and M. Singhal, 28 November 2025, Astronomy & Astrophysics.
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202556229
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