Het zwarte gat in het centrum van ons Melkwegstelsel
Wat zit er in het centrum van het Melkwegstelsel? Astronomen vermoedden al lang dat zich daar een zwart gat schuilhoudt, maar zeker wisten ze dat niet. Na het galactisch centrum 15 jaar met ESO-telescopen in de gaten te hebben gehouden, vonden wetenschappers eindelijk het doorslaggevende bewijs.
De sterren in het centrum van het Melkwegstelsel zitten zo dicht op elkaar, dat je speciale beeldtechnieken, zoals adaptieve optiek, nodig hebt om de resolutie van de VLT te vergroten. Daarmee hebben astronomen met ongekende nauwkeurigheid de bewegingen van afzonderlijke sterren om het galactisch centrum kunnen volgen. Uit deze baanbewegingen volgt onomstotelijk dat de sterren in de greep zijn van het immense zwaartekrachtsveld van een superzwaar zwart gat dat bijna drie miljoen keer zo veel massa heeft als onze zon. Met de VLT zijn ook regelmatige flitsen van infrarode straling uit dit gebied waargenomen. Hoewel de precieze oorzaak van dit verschijnsel nog onbekend is, denken de waarnemers dat het zwarte gat mogelijk snel ronddraait. Maar wat er ook aan de hand is, helemaal rustig is het zwarte gat niet (zie persberichten eso1332, eso1151, eso0846, eso0226 en eso0330).
Astronomen hebben de VLT ook gebruikt om in de kernen van sterrenstelsels buiten het onze te kijken. En ook daar zijn duidelijke aanwijzingen gevonden voor de aanwezigheid van superzware zwarte gaten. In het actieve stelsel NGC 1097 hebben zij met ongekend detail een ingewikkeld netwerk van draadvormige structuren waargenomen dat naar het centrum van het stelsel toe spiraalt. Dat zou het eerste tastbare bewijs kunnen zijn dat er materietransport plaatsvindt van het hoofdgedeelte van een sterrenstelsel naar de kern. (Zie eso0109, eso0319, eso0414, eso0529, and eso0534.)
"We moesten zelfs nog scherpere opnamen hebben om te kunnen vaststellen of het iets anders kon zijn dan een zwart gat, en rekenden erop dat de VLT die zou kunnen leveren. Nu is het tijdperk van de waarneembare fysica van het zwarte gat echt begonnen!"
Near-Infrared Flare from Galactic Centre
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