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Mysterious Stars Surround Andromeda's Black Hole

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the hot-young-stars dept.

UltimaGuy writes to tell us that Yahoo is running a story about a recent discovery that shows the source of strange blue light coming from the center of the Andromeda galaxy. The light is actually a cluster of stars circling the galaxy's central black hole with immense orbital velocity. From the article: "Such frenetic activity was thought to prevent star formation. Stars form when a knot of gas and dust collapses under its own gravity."

3 of 341 comments (clear)

  1. Get it right.. by beldraen · · Score: 5, Insightful
    Stars form when a knot of gas and dust collapses under its own gravity.

    No... Stars form however they damn well please. Our current models suggest it is done under their own gravity, but our models are not reality. They are our understanding of reality and are modified or thrown out when we find our understanding is wrong. The universe is always right.

    P.S. Sorry, it's one of my pet pieves when someone says "that not how physics works!"
    --
    Bel, the mostly sane.. "Of course I can't see anything! I'm standing on the shoulders of idiots." -- Me
    1. Re:Get it right.. by ifwm · · Score: 5, Insightful

      "No... Stars form however they damn well please"

      No, stars form however the rules of the universe allow them to.

      P.S. Sorry, but it's one of my pet peeves when people anthropomorphize inanimate objects.

  2. Well... by slobber · · Score: 5, Insightful

    IANAA, but could these stars have formed prior to being caught by the gravity of that black hole?

    --
    "You mortals are so obtuse." -Q