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Over several years, astronomers have noticed flares in X-ray light of the black hole at the center of the Milky Way. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory detected these flares during observations that the telescope makes of the black hole periodically. A new study suggests that these flares may occur when the black hole, known as Sagittarrius A* or Sgr A* for short, consumes an asteroid at least six miles wide. If an asteroid get too close to another object like as a star or planet, it can be thrown into an orbit headed towards Sgr A*. Once the asteroid passes within about 100 million miles of the black hole, it is torn into pieces by the black hole's tidal forces. Eventually, these fragments are vaporized by friction as they pass through the hot, thin gas flowing onto Sgr A*. This is what produces an X-ray flare. If confirmed, this result could mean that there is a cloud around Sgr A* containing hundreds of trillions of asteroids and comets. This would be an exciting development for the many scientists who are fascinated by the Milky Way's giant black hole and environment around it.
