posted on May, 8 2008 @ 11:17 AM
reply to post by Essan
and
reply to post by DuneKnight
I have to agree. Given the fact that this is an announcement from the Chandra team, and they said it is an object IN our galaxy, I would have to bet
that they confirmed that the compact radio source Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*) in the center of our Galaxy is actually a black hole.
It has been speculated that this radio source is a black hole, but that has not yet been confirmed. I'm suspect the Chandra X-ray observatory found
some new compelling evidence confirming that Sgr A* is a black hole.
It was 50 years ago that David Finkelstein first described the chracteristics of what we know as black holes (but gravitational singularities were
theorized before that), although the term "black hole" was not coined until 10 years later. However, I think the concept of a supermassive black
hole in the center of our galaxy has been theorized for less than 50 years, so I suppose this announcement COULD be something else -- but I suspect
nothing that important to most people.
The confirmation of a supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way would be thrilling and exciting news to astrophysistis whose careers
revolve around discoveries such as this, but it is of purely esoteric importance to the rest of the world.