Astronomers Find Gas Cloud About To Fall Into Black Hole

First time accepted submitter pigrabbitbear writes "Black holes are basically celestial Cookie Monsters, gobbling anything and everything in sight. But because that appetite includes light itself, it's incredibly rare for us to actually see a black hole suck back an interstellar treat. Astronomers using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope have found just that: a mysterious, giant gas cloud that's rapidly been pulled into the maw of a supermassive black hole. The researchers, led by Reinhard Genzel of the Max-Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany, discovered the cloud as part of a now 20-year ESO program tasked with tracking stars as they whirl around the supermassive black hole, known as Sgr A*, at the center of our galaxy."

Comments

"Cookie Monsters"

[Baloroth]

Really Slashdot? "Cookie Monsters"? "Interstellar treat"? Wow, I think I may have found a new low for a Slashdot summary.

Well, until tomorrow, anyways.

Re:Who farted?

[Baloroth]

Yeah. Unfortunately, you can't see it because the black hole sucked it up.

They know it's about to be pulled in?

[93 Escort Wagon]

So did these hot-shot researchers even consider warning the gas cloud? No, they just plan to sit back and watch it happen, the bastards!

Re:Rotate

[grcumb]

Black holes don't actually suck anything in. Things just more like... fall in.

Well, can't we put up a sign or something? How many innocent gas clouds have to suffer needlessly from this preventable hazard? I mean, what does it say about us as a civilisation if our scientists just sit around watching while this tragedy occurs?

WON'T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE HYDROGEN?!?