A massive black hole millions of times bigger than our sun is plunging towards Earth at a rate of 110 kilometers per second, scientists have warned.
The black hole is currently positioned at the midpoint of the Great Andromeda Galaxy – the Milky Way’s closest neighbor.
Thescienceandspace.com reports:
At the middle of the most known galaxies, there exist a supermassive black hole which stars turn around and helps keep everything in formation.
In any case, such is the powerful gravitational pull of the Milky Way and Andromeda that they are being drawn toward one another and will one day crash.
Fraser Cain, publisher of space website Universe Today, wrote for Phys.org:
“There’s a black hole at the middle of the Milky Way. And not just any black hole, it’s a supermassive black hole with more than 4.1 million times the mass of the Sun.
It’s directly over there, in the direction of the Sagittarius constellation. Situated just 26,000 light-years away.
And as we speak, it is in the process of tearing apart whole stars and star systems, sporadically consuming them, adding to its mass like a unquenchable shark.
Because of the span of of Andromeda however, there is only going to be one victor when it crashes into the Milky Way.
But, as Andromeda is 2.5 million light years away, it will take over four billion years to reach us, so we are alright for now.
Mr Cain said:
“Panic will happen when the Milky Way hits with Andromeda in about 4 billion years. Abruptly, you’ll have two entire clouds of stars associating in all kinds of ways, similar to a shaky mixed family.
Stars that would have been safe will careen past other stars and be deflected down into the maw of either of the two supermassive black holes on hand.
Andromeda’s black hole could be 100 million times the mass of the Sun, so it’s a greater target for stars with a desire to die”
Sean Adl-Tabatabai