Milky Way's Black Hole to Eat Planet-Forming Cloud

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branketra

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#1 branketra
Member since 2006 • 51726 Posts

This article was taken from bbc.co.uk.

Gas cloud

Like other galaxies, the Milky Way hosts a black hole, known as Sagittarius A* (SgrA*), at its centre.

SGrA* dislodged the star from its original orbit within a ring of young suns circling the black hole.

The disc of gas and dust will be devoured before it can evolve into a solar system.

The research by a team at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, US, is published in Nature Communications journal.

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The tidal forces from the black hole are strong enough to strip gas away from the star but not strong enough to pull the star itself apart

Dr Ruth Murray-ClayHarvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics

Earlier this year, researchersreported seeing a cloudof ionised gas and dust falling in towards SgrA*.

They suggested that it formed when gas streaming from two nearby stars collided, like wind-blown sand gathering into a dune.

Astronomers Ruth Murray-Clay and Abraham Loeb have come up with a different explanation: that the cloud is a proto-planetary disc surrounding a low-mass star.

Newborn stars retain a surrounding disc of gas and dust for millions of years. If one such star were to dive toward our galaxy's central black hole, radiation and gravitational tides would rip apart the surrounding matter in just a few years.

The star is now hurtling towards the black hole on an elliptical orbit.

While the star itself is too small to be directly observed, the proto-planetary dust cloud accompanying it is being disrupted on the way, and it is this debris that the researchers were able to detect.

VLT

The cloud of gas and dust was discovered using the Very Large Telescope

"This unfortunate star got tossed toward the central black hole. Now it's on the ride of its life," said Dr Murray-Clay.

As the young sun continues to plummet towards the black hole over the next year, more of the disc's outer material will be torn away. The stripped gas will swirl into the yawning black hole. Friction will heat it to high enough temperatures that it will glow in X-rays.

But while the planetary cloud is heading for destruction, the star is likely to survive.

"The tidal forces from the black hole are strong enough to strip gas away from the star but not strong enough to pull the star itself apart," Dr Murray-Clay told BBC News."

"The same sort of forces that generate ocean tides are at work here. Ocean tides happen when the oceans are pulled away from the Earth a little bit by the Moon. In our case, the black hole is generating such strong tidal forces that they pull a large fraction of the disc entirely away from the star.

"The inner portion of the disc will survive - gas close to the young star is held more tightly since it is deeper in the star's gravitational well."

The results are interesting because the centre of the Milky Way should be a very inhospitable place to try to form a planet.

Stars crowd each other as they zip through space while exploding stars unleash shock waves and bathe the region in intense radiation. The powerful gravitational forces from a supermassive black hole twist and warp the fabric of space itself.

The research suggests, contrary to received wisdom, that planets can still form in this cosmic war zone.

Although this protoplanetary disc is being destroyed, the stars that remain in the ring can hold onto their planet-forming clouds. This means they could form planets despite the hostile surroundings.

"It's fascinating to think about planets forming so close to a black hole," said Abraham Loeb.


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suz437

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#2 suz437
Member since 2005 • 1053 Posts

Love this kind of stuff, it's so interesting to read. Thanks for the read.

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worlock77

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#3 worlock77
Member since 2009 • 22552 Posts

Maybe the Collectors are testing some new Reaper devised planet devouring weapon.

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deactivated-5b78379493e12

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#4 deactivated-5b78379493e12
Member since 2005 • 15625 Posts

OMG, it's a black whole, we're all going to die!!!!!

Just kidding. Seriously cool stuff. If I hadn't become a chemistry, I would have loved to become an astronomer or astro physicist.

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Fightingfan

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#5 Fightingfan
Member since 2010 • 38011 Posts
I wonder where it goes O.O
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Bane_09

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#6 Bane_09
Member since 2010 • 3394 Posts

Cool article, space is too awesome

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JustPlainLucas

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#7 JustPlainLucas
Member since 2002 • 80441 Posts
It's amazing how the universe decides what will come to be and what will be destroyed.
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kuraimen

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#8 kuraimen
Member since 2010 • 28078 Posts
So the Universe is pro-choice? Because that definitely seems to be an abortion. That cloud could have become a whole planet full with cute and fluffy forms of life.
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jesuschristmonk

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#9 jesuschristmonk
Member since 2009 • 3308 Posts
So the Universe is pro-choice? Because that definitely seems to be an abortion. That cloud could have become a whole planet full with cute and fluffy forms of life.kuraimen
Maybe we should put out a law to ban black holes ;). The universe is awesome.
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TacticalDesire

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#10 TacticalDesire
Member since 2010 • 10713 Posts

Damn that's cool. It's awesome to have people researching this kind of stuff. I hope they can uncover more secrets and make more discoveries.

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junglist101

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#11 junglist101
Member since 2007 • 5517 Posts

I'm thankful we live in a time where we can even know this stuff. It really is amazing.

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krazykillaz

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#12 krazykillaz
Member since 2002 • 21141 Posts
So the Universe is pro-choice? Because that definitely seems to be an abortion. That cloud could have become a whole planet full with cute and fluffy forms of life.kuraimen
Life can only exist on Earth, silly. We're at the perfect distance from the sun for life to thrive. There's no way that could happen by accident.
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#13 BatCrazedJoker
Member since 2012 • 1611 Posts
The universe is an interesting place.
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Superironic

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#14 Superironic
Member since 2006 • 12658 Posts
Sounds awesome
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seahorse123

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#15 seahorse123
Member since 2012 • 1237 Posts
I love this stuff! the wonders of the universe....
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#16 johnd13
Member since 2011 • 11125 Posts

I'm thankful we live in a time where we can even know this stuff. It really is amazing.

junglist101

But I' m not thankful that we won' t be alive to see humanity at its peak, colonizing other solar systems and galaxies.

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Nibroc420

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#17 Nibroc420
Member since 2007 • 13571 Posts
[QUOTE="kuraimen"]So the Universe is pro-choice? Because that definitely seems to be an abortion. That cloud could have become a whole planet full with cute and fluffy forms of life.krazykillaz
Life can only exist on Earth, silly. We're at the perfect distance from the sun for life to thrive. There's no way that could happen by accident.

There's millions of other solar systems that could possibly have life.
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wis3boi

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#18 wis3boi
Member since 2005 • 32507 Posts

Milky Way's gotta eat lunch sometime :P

218011_408032665912712_1051334448_n.jpg

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comp_atkins

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#19 comp_atkins
Member since 2005 • 38677 Posts

whenever i read this stuff it's saddening to know i'm alive for such a tiny blip of time ( and at the wrong time of human existance ) and the universe is so friggin' massive that i'll never get to explore any of it.. it's such a rip off. we're just stuck on this little rock fighting with each other over minutia.

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comp_atkins

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#20 comp_atkins
Member since 2005 • 38677 Posts
[QUOTE="krazykillaz"][QUOTE="kuraimen"]So the Universe is pro-choice? Because that definitely seems to be an abortion. That cloud could have become a whole planet full with cute and fluffy forms of life.Nibroc420
Life can only exist on Earth, silly. We're at the perfect distance from the sun for life to thrive. There's no way that could happen by accident.

There's millions of other solar systems that could possibly have life.

it's probably trillions...
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#21 deactivated-598fc45371265
Member since 2008 • 13247 Posts

RIP Planet Forming Cloud

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Bigboss232

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#22 Bigboss232
Member since 2006 • 4997 Posts

So this is how the universe aborts planets it doesn't wan't?

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wis3boi

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#23 wis3boi
Member since 2005 • 32507 Posts

[QUOTE="Nibroc420"][QUOTE="krazykillaz"] Life can only exist on Earth, silly. We're at the perfect distance from the sun for life to thrive. There's no way that could happen by accident.comp_atkins
There's millions of other solar systems that could possibly have life.

it's probably trillions...

Or more. Kepler is finding tens of thousands of planets in a section of the sky the size of a coin, and that's only after a few years of staring at that one spot. Last I heard, a few hundred of them were Earth sized and were in the "Goldilocks zone"

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comp_atkins

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#24 comp_atkins
Member since 2005 • 38677 Posts

[QUOTE="comp_atkins"][QUOTE="Nibroc420"] There's millions of other solar systems that could possibly have life.wis3boi

it's probably trillions...

Or more. Kepler is finding tens of thousands of planets in a section of the sky the size of a coin, and that's only after a few years of staring at that one spot. Last I heard, a few hundred of them were Earth sized and were in the "Goldilocks zone"

yup. as far as planets go, they're pretty much everywhere :)
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#25 themajormayor
Member since 2011 • 25729 Posts

[QUOTE="comp_atkins"][QUOTE="Nibroc420"] There's millions of other solar systems that could possibly have life.wis3boi

it's probably trillions...

Or more. Kepler is finding tens of thousands of planets in a section of the sky the size of a coin, and that's only after a few years of staring at that one spot. Last I heard, a few hundred of them were Earth sized and were in the "Goldilocks zone"

LOL no

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#26 hoola
Member since 2004 • 6422 Posts

Wonder what would happen if a mega star collided with a Black Hole. Would the black hole rip right through it? What would happen if one collided with a piece of rock the size of a star. Im not talking about just being around it, but actually rammed right into each other.

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branketra

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#27 branketra
Member since 2006 • 51726 Posts

Wonder what would happen if a mega star collided with a Black Hole. Would the black hole rip right through it? What would happen if one collided with a piece of rock the size of a star. Im not talking about just being around it, but actually rammed right into each other.

hoola
That is good to ponder about.
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themajormayor

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#28 themajormayor
Member since 2011 • 25729 Posts
[QUOTE="hoola"]

Wonder what would happen if a mega star collided with a Black Hole. Would the black hole rip right through it? What would happen if one collided with a piece of rock the size of a star. Im not talking about just being around it, but actually rammed right into each other.

BranKetra
That is good to ponder about.

Not really
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branketra

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#29 branketra
Member since 2006 • 51726 Posts
[QUOTE="themajormayor"][QUOTE="BranKetra"][QUOTE="hoola"]

Wonder what would happen if a mega star collided with a Black Hole. Would the black hole rip right through it? What would happen if one collided with a piece of rock the size of a star. Im not talking about just being around it, but actually rammed right into each other.

That is good to ponder about.

Not really

If someone does not know something then thinking about it is a good thing.
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themajormayor

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#30 themajormayor
Member since 2011 • 25729 Posts
[QUOTE="themajormayor"][QUOTE="BranKetra"] That is good to ponder about.BranKetra
Not really

If someone does not know something then thinking about it is a good thing.

Why not just ask someone who knows?
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branketra

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#31 branketra
Member since 2006 • 51726 Posts
[QUOTE="BranKetra"][QUOTE="themajormayor"] Not really themajormayor
If someone does not know something then thinking about it is a good thing.

Why not just ask someone who knows?

You have to think about what you are going to ask first.
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wis3boi

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#32 wis3boi
Member since 2005 • 32507 Posts

[QUOTE="BranKetra"][QUOTE="themajormayor"] Not really themajormayor
If someone does not know something then thinking about it is a good thing.

Why not just ask someone who knows?

Don't be dense

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JustPlainLucas

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#33 JustPlainLucas
Member since 2002 • 80441 Posts

Wonder what would happen if a mega star collided with a Black Hole. Would the black hole rip right through it? What would happen if one collided with a piece of rock the size of a star. Im not talking about just being around it, but actually rammed right into each other.

hoola
Well, if there was a mega star on a collision course with the black hole, it would start to be devoured well before it got anywhere close to the hole. Then, if it still had so much mass, it would simply pass over the black hole since it's so much denser than the star. As for pieces of rock the size of a star, I'm not sure those would exist. There would be so much mass that the gravity would crush the planet in on itself, and even then, any other large rocky objects that would be around during the planet's accretion would continuously break the planet up. Think a giant blender. All those collisions would make sure no one planet got to be that massive.
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Smokescreened84

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#34 Smokescreened84
Member since 2005 • 2565 Posts
That was fascinating. So much beauty, and horror, to the universe around us.
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shadowkiller11

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#35 shadowkiller11
Member since 2008 • 7956 Posts

I'm thankful we live in a time where we can even know this stuff. It really is amazing.

junglist101
Imagine in the vast future where we could be entering them.
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deactivated-5acfa3a8bc51d

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#36 deactivated-5acfa3a8bc51d
Member since 2005 • 7914 Posts
well this beats the Jupiter thread by a long shot. if earth isn't lost because of the solar system (sun exploding, asteroids, and so on), then earth will be lost from a black hole. there is nothing new under the sun...wait there won't be a sun
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DeadMan1290

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#37 DeadMan1290
Member since 2005 • 15752 Posts

Love this kind of stuff, it's so interesting to read. Thanks for the read.

suz437

Maybe the Collectors are testing some new Reaper devised planet devouring weapon.

worlock77
Too much Mass Effect for you mister. >.>
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wis3boi

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#38 wis3boi
Member since 2005 • 32507 Posts

[QUOTE="suz437"]

Love this kind of stuff, it's so interesting to read. Thanks for the read.

DeadMan1290

Maybe the Collectors are testing some new Reaper devised planet devouring weapon.

worlock77

Too much Mass Effect for you mister. >.>

No! We can control them! For humanity!

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branketra

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#39 branketra
Member since 2006 • 51726 Posts

[QUOTE="DeadMan1290"][QUOTE="suz437"] [QUOTE="worlock77"]

Maybe the Collectors are testing some new Reaper devised planet devouring weapon.

wis3boi

Too much Mass Effect for you mister. >.>

No! We can control them! For humanity!

They are controlling you.