Researchers using the GRAVITY instrument on the VLT have identified a star named S301 in a remarkably close, highly eccentric orbit around the Milky Way’s central black hole, Sgr A*, making it the nearest and fastest such star observed in that region.

S301’s extreme trajectory offers a powerful testbed for general relativity, with its orbit allowing measurements of the black hole’s spin through relativistic effects like frame-dragging.

The star approaches within about 1.7 billion kilometers of Sgr A*, a distance that enables potential detection of the black hole’s rotation as it subtly shifts S301’s orbit over time.

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The findings were published in Nature on August 19.

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Discovery was made with ESO’s Very Large Telescope Interferometer, led by Stefan Gillessen at the Max Planck Institute, with findings published in Nature.

Observations were conducted using the VLTI at Paranal with light gathered by four 8-meter telescopes, achieving high spatial resolution.

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GRAVITY+ Collaboration and Max Planck Institute researchers began monitoring S301 in 2023, with about two years of data needed to confirm its unique nature amid weak signals.

The Nature article credits collaboration with the Max Planck Institute and ESO’s VLTI using the GRAVITY+ instrument.