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Astronomers determined the star S0-2, which will test Einstein’s Theory of General Relatively when it swings by our galaxy’s supermassive black hole later this year, does not have a significant binary companion. At the center of the Milky Way galaxy, some 26,000 light-years away, lies a supermassive black hole known as Sagittarius A*. With a mass of roughly 4 million Suns, this colossal cosmic object is a gravitational heavyweight. When something, such as a star, passes by the black hole's outer rim, its enormous gravitational pull accelerates the star to speeds of up to 18.5 million miles (30 million kilometers) per hour – or about three percent the speed of light. The short list of high-velocity stars that make such close approaches to Sagittarius A* are known as S-stars.
One such S-star is named Source 2 (also known as S0-2 or S2). After nearly 16 years of anticipation, astronomers are making their final preparations to observe S0-2 as its orbit brings it exceptionally close to Sagittarius A* in a few short months. Astronomers are so eager for this close approach because it will serve as yet another stringent test of Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity. But, until last week, there was a slight sense of unease in the air as astronomers suspected S0-2 was a binary star system like many other S-stars. This would have complicated the upcoming test.
