An article published in the journal “Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society” describes a research about the central region of the Milky Way. Using ESA’s XMM-Newton X-ray space observatory, a team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) led by Dr. Gabriele Ponti revealed the most intense processes going on at the center of the galaxy.

The supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way, known as Sagittarius A*, is the one you think as a primary source of activity in that area. In the image built using various observations made with the XMM-Newton space telescope in over a month, it’s the bright source to the right of the central area. The electromagnetic emissions are caused by the materials around it which are heated so much as to generate even X-rays.

However, the image also shows many other sources of activities which prove that the center of the Milky Way is an area of ​​great activity of various types. This new map covers a region about a thousand light years across in which the astronomers found signs of intense activity.

Bright sources in the image are originated from binary star systems in which one of the stars reached the end of its life becoming a neutron star or a black hole. The X-ray emissions are caused by the fact that they devour mass torn from their companions heating them so much as to generate such energetic emissions.

The center of the Milky Way also contains young stars and star clusters. Some of them are visible in white or red in various parts of the image. Together with supernovae, the young stars emit strong winds that change the shape of gas clouds existing in that area.

This study found the presence of some large clouds of hot gases but the exam also discovered traces of emissions generated by the presence of heavy elements. They are for example silicon, sulfur, and argon, which are produced especially by supernovae.

Very low emissions were also found in the areas at the top and the bottom of the image. Hot plasma can be the effect of macroscopic outward flows generated by star formation in the entire central region. Another possibility is that the emissions are linked to the turbulent past of the supermassive black hole that is no longer so active.

The scientists are still analyzing the observations made with the XMM-Newton space telescope to understand in more detail what is going on in the central area of ​​the Milky Way. This will help better understand how the whole galaxy will evolve.

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