NASA warns that the Milky Way's black hole could 'wake up'

The collision with the Large Magellanic Cloud

The "awakening" of Sagittarius A* will occur when the Large Magellanic Cloud sends large amounts of gas toward the center of the galaxy. That process will transform the black hole into an active top-tier nucleus (AGN).

Professor Carlos Frenk from Durham University clarified that this phenomenon will not be powerful enough to harm life on Earth. In fact, the atmosphere, the magnetic field, and the top-tier gas itself act as natural shields.

This is not the first time Sagittarius A* has become active

Observations from NASA's IXPE telescope revealed that 200 years ago Sagittarius A* recorded a minor eruption. Further back in time, it may even have originated the so-called "Fermi Bubbles."

This future awakening will not mark the end of life on Earth, but rather a new chapter in the cosmic history of the Milky Way. As Frenk pointed out, "the growth of galaxies is deeply linked to that of their central black holes."

The supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, located at the center of the Milky Way, remained calm for thousands of years. However, an international team of astronomers has confirmed that it could re-enter a phase of great activity.

According to NASA, this "awakening" will occur when the galaxy collides with the Large Magellanic Cloud. Although it may sound unsettling, experts emphasize that it doesn't pose a direct risk to our planet.

What Sagittarius A* is and where it is located

Sagittarius A* is the closest black hole to Earth, located more than 25,000 light-years away, with a mass equivalent to about four million suns. It is in the constellation Sagittarius and is considered the "heart" of the Milky Way.

The Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia explains that its emission is weaker than that of other black holes and that it converts matter into energy on a much smaller scale. In 2020, researchers Roger Penrose, Reinhard Genzel, and Andrea Ghez received the Nobel Prize in Physics for their studies on this cosmic colossus.

What will happen when it "awakens"

When a black hole becomes active, it begins to devour gas and dust, generating an accretion disk that reaches temperatures of millions of degrees. This releases radiation in multiple wavelengths: visible, ultraviolet, infrared, and X-ray.

In addition, many active black holes emit true "cosmic cannons" of energy that extend thousands of light-years. According to astrophysicist Nathalie Degenaar from the University of Amsterdam, that radiation can be observed in different light spectra.