A Star Near the Milky Way’s Black Hole Is Losing Mass at an Astonishing Rate

A Star Near the Milky Way’s Black Hole Is Losing Mass at an Astonishing Rate

New observations from the James Webb Space Telescope show that IRS 3, a star near the center of the Milky Way, is losing vast amounts of mass, causing its surrounding envelope to expand continuously. Near the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, a mature star is shedding enormous amounts of gas [...]

Astronomers find water in the harsh environment near the Milky Way's black hole — Space photo of the week

A view of the Milky Way galaxy. (Image credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, F. Peißker, J. Lu, F. Yusef-Zadeh, N. B. Sabha, C. Chan)Quick factsWhat it is: The region around the star IRS 3Where it is: 26,000 light-years from EarthWhen it was shared: Aug. 11, 2026This mesmerizing image may look pretty, but it captures a hostile environment: the turbulent region surrounding a dying star close to our galaxy's central black hole. This unprecedented view of …

Webb Finds Water Near the Milky Way’s Central Black Hole

The centre of the Milky Way is a difficult place for fragile molecules. Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the heart of our galaxy, is surrounded by intense radiation, fast-moving gas and a dense crowd of stars. Yet a star near that black hole is blowing material into space, and the material contains both […] The post Webb Finds Dust and Water Surviving Near the Milky Way’s Central Black Hole appeared first on Curiosmos.