Stars within the center of our home galaxy are constantly threatened by collision, as they orbit around the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, Sagittarius A (Sgr A). How close the stars are to Sgr A decides whether they crash into other nearby stars, stuck in a merging steadfast clash, or only lose their outer layer and keep hurtling into orbit.
"They whack into each other and keep going," said Sanaea Rose, study lead author and astrophysicist at Northwestern University, in a press release. "They just graze each other as though exchanging a very violent high-five. This causes the stars to eject some material and lose their outer layers."
Aside from understanding what happens to stars near each other, a new study could help astrophysicists learn more about the Milky Way galaxy, its past, and how its central star cluster changes over time. "At the very least, it certainly provides a point of contrast for the neighborhood where we live," said Rose in a statement.
