Researchers have identified a star designated S301 that holds the distinction of being both the fastest known star in the Milky Way and the closest to the galactic center’s supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A*. The star travels at approximately 25,000 kilometers per second and completes a full orbit around the black hole in just 8.7 years, approaching within 12 times the Earth-Sun distance at its closest point.
The discovery opens new opportunities for testing fundamental physics theories. According to Einstein’s general theory of relativity, spinning black holes warp the spacetime around them, an effect that becomes measurable only for objects in close, fast orbits. S301’s highly eccentric trajectory and proximity to Sagittarius A* create ideal conditions for directly measuring the black hole’s rotation for the first time. Previous methods would have required tracking multiple stars over several decades to estimate this property.
Scientists involved in the study indicate they can leverage existing observations dating back to 2017 combined with tracking the star through its next closest approach in 2031 to gather sufficient data. Within the next decade, researchers expect to produce a direct measurement of the black hole’s spin, which would represent a key validation of Einstein’s theoretical predictions and fundamentally advance understanding of galactic evolution.
The observations were conducted using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer at the Paranal Observatory in Chile, which combines light from four 8-meter telescopes. Despite its extreme proximity to the black hole, S301 is not expected to cross the event horizon and will remain in its current orbital path. The findings were published in the journal Nature.
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