Stories
Slash Boxes
Comments

SoylentNews is people

posted by Dopefish on Wednesday February 19 2014, @04:30PM   Printer-friendly
from the reconnoiter-the-dark-matter dept.

weeds writes:

"This has been going on for some time and the date of closest approach keeps getting pushed back. Here is the latest report from the New York Times on the approach of a gas cloud called G2 towards the Galactic Center.

Black holes, which are the ultra-dense, collapsed objects predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity, are often depicted as voracious feeders whose extraordinary gravity acts like a one-way membrane: Everything is sucked in, even light, and virtually nothing leaks out.

Now, for the first time, astronomers may have a chance to watch as a giant black hole consumes a cosmic snack.

In March or April, the gas cloud G2, which has been hurtling toward the center of the Milky Way, is expected to collide with Sagittarius A*, a black hole that lies just 26,000 light-years away from Earth."

 
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.
Display Options Threshold/Breakthrough Mark All as Read Mark All as Unread
The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whoever posted them. We are not responsible for them in any way.
  • (Score: 3, Funny) by acid andy on Wednesday February 19 2014, @04:49PM

    by acid andy (1683) on Wednesday February 19 2014, @04:49PM (#2593) Homepage Journal

    I was rather under the impression that relativistic effects would prevent us from ever seeing anything.... Or am I just stoopid?

    Those two things aren't necessarily mutually exclusive, you know!

    Ah! If they were, you'd have said "Xor am I just stoopid?", I see.

    --
    If a cat has kittens, does a rat have rittens, a bat bittens and a mat mittens?
    Starting Score:    1  point
    Moderation   +2  
       Funny=3, Overrated=1, Total=4
    Extra 'Funny' Modifier   0  

    Total Score:   3