Discover the secret behind the Milky Way's seemingly youthful stars at its heart, driven by cosmic collisions.
At the heart of the Milky Way, stars engage in a cosmic demolition derby, orbiting the supermassive black hole Sgr A*.
Some stars maintain their youth by cannibalizing neighboring stars, coating themselves in stolen stellar material.
A Northwestern University simulation of 1,000 stars reveals the violent dynamics near our galaxy's core.
The Galactic Center is extremely crowded, hosting a black hole with a mass of 4.5 million suns, orbited by over a million stars
Stars near Sgr A* move at immense speeds, up to 18 million miles per hour, increasing collision chances
Stellar collisions near Sgr A* result in 'zombie' stars, stripped of their outer layers, and youthful-looking cannibal stars.
Stars gain a youthful appearance by absorbing material but at the cost of shortening their lifespans due to faster fuel consumption
Farther from Sgr A*, stars collide less frequently, often merging into larger stars, unlike the destructive encounters near the black hole.
The study of the Milky Way's heart continues to unveil the galaxy's secrets, with ongoing research expanding our understanding of these cosmic phenomena.