Tag: stellar dynamics
-
Squashed Orbits Reveal Likely Origins of Black Hole Collision
Unveiling a Rare Cosmic Collision A cataclysmic collision between two black holes has offered astronomers a rare glimpse into how such binaries form. Detected as GW200208_222617, the event exhibited detectable orbital eccentricity—an oval-shaped path that is less common by the time black holes merge. This finding adds a crucial clue to the long-standing question of…
-
Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS: Clues to Ancient Milky Way Origin
New clues from a long, cosmic journey Astronomers weighing the origins of the interstellar visitor 3I/ATLAS have sharpened their view of where it came from in the Milky Way. By tracing the comet’s path over the last 4.27 million years, researchers using Gaia data have built a narrative that the object might stem from the…
-
Black Hole Stars in Galaxy Cores: A New Cosmic Hint
What are black hole stars? A recent study by an international team of astronomers raises the provocative idea that some galaxy centers might host a rare class of objects termed “black hole stars.” In simple terms, these would be compact stellar configurations living in the extreme gravity near supermassive black holes at galactic cores. While…