Scientists have studied the X3a star using all the instruments at their disposal. The analysis of its spectrum shows that it is the heaviest and at the same time the youngest star that has so far been discovered right in the heart of the Milky Way. At the same time, it turned out that it was formed in the immediate vicinity of a black hole. And scientists wondered how this was possible.
“In general, the vicinity of a black hole is considered a very inhospitable area, characterized by highly dynamic processes and intense X-ray and ultraviolet radiation,” said Zajaček.
Black hole calm zone
Astronomers have gradually proven that at a distance of only a few light years from the black hole there is an area that surprisingly meets the conditions for the formation of stars. The ring of gas and dust is sufficiently cool there and protected from destructive radiation. Low temperatures and high densities provide an environment where clouds weighing hundreds of Suns can form. When a dense enough cloud forms, it collapses under its own gravity to form one or more protostars.
“With its high mass, equal to about ten times the mass of the Sun, X3a is a giant among stars, and these giants evolve and mature very quickly. We were lucky to see this massive star in the middle of a circumstellar nebula in the form of a comet at this embryonic stage,” explained Zajaček.
Similar rings of dust and gas can also be found in the cores of other galaxies, where there may also be very young stars. “However, detailed observations of the nuclei of alien galaxies have so far been completely beyond the capabilities of even the most modern telescopes,” added Vladimír Karas from the Astronomical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague.
Planned observations by the James Webb Space Telescope and the planned Extremely Large Telescope in Chile, he said, could yield additional insights that will allow an even better description of this remarkable place.
