A study by astronomers suggests that a 'star grinder' near Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the heart of the Milky Way, is destroying numerous star systems. B-type stars can endure longer in this chaotic environment compared to O-type stars, which quickly convert into black holes. This research offers insights into the dynamics at the galactic center, explaining the lack of O-type stars within a tenth of a light-year from Sagittarius A* and enhancing our understanding of stellar processes in this violent region.
The research could force us to reconsider what we know about the violent events happening at the center of our galaxy - a brutal cycle of life and death, right at the core of the Milky Way.
This explains why the heavy O-type stars are missing at distances smaller than about one-tenth of a light year from SgrA*, with only B-stars surviving there.
The smaller B-stars can survive much longer, in fact for some 50 million years.
These results give us an entirely new understanding of the immediate surroundings of the central super-massive black hole.
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