Central Black Hole
Researchers have long studied the enormous black hole at the center of our galaxy, whose mass is more than 2 million times our sun. As seen in the above simulation, an unlucky cloud of gas and dust could get caught up in the black hole’s relentless gravitational pull. Spiraling inward, this mass would be torn apart, with some parts flung off and others slowly consumed.
Despite their fearsome reputation, black holes are not cosmic vacuum cleaners that draw everything into their hungry maw. Objects can form stable orbits around them without getting sucked in. As seen in the simulation, stars near the black hole are tugged around like planets orbiting a star but don’t necessarily fall inward.
