Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have observed the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy, Sgr A*, to be constantly flickering with superbright flares. The observations, which lasted for hours at a time over the course of a year, revealed a “constant bubbling” in the disk’s light that changed every few seconds or minutes. The researchers believe that turbulence in the disk itself causes the bubbling, while the process behind the big flares could be analogous to magnetic reconnection events.
Forecast for 6 months: Expect more frequent and intense observations of Sgr A* using the James Webb Space Telescope, leading to a deeper understanding of the black hole’s behavior and the processes behind its flickering.
Forecast for 1 year: The discovery of Sgr A*’s constant flickering will likely lead to a surge in research and funding for studies on supermassive black holes, potentially revealing new insights into their behavior and the role they play in the evolution of galaxies.
Forecast for 5 years: As the James Webb Space Telescope continues to observe Sgr A*, we can expect a significant increase in our understanding of the black hole’s environment and the processes that govern its behavior. This knowledge will likely be applied to the study of other supermassive black holes in the universe.
Forecast for 10 years: The study of Sgr A* and other supermassive black holes will likely lead to breakthroughs in our understanding of the universe’s evolution, potentially revealing new insights into the role of black holes in shaping the structure and composition of galaxies.
