James Webb telescope discovers surprising trove of metals around the Milky Way's supermassive black hole ...Middle East

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In astronomy, metals refer to any element heavier than hydrogen or helium, with common examples including oxygen, carbon, iron or gold. These elements are forged through nuclear fusion in the hearts of stars that are reaching the ends of their lives, before being sprayed into space and incorporated into new generations of stars.

The metals, detected as gas, appear to have the same composition as several nearby stars, which suggests both the stars and the gas originated at the same time. Researchers shared the observations in a paper published Oct. 19 in The Astronomical Journal, following up on work published in The Astrophysical Journal in May.

JWST orbits at Lagrange point 2, which is about 1 million miles (1.5 million kilometers) from Earth in the opposite direction of the sun. The telescope identified the heat signatures of specific gas clouds billowing near the black hole, as well as the metal content within those clouds.

Three views of the galactic center in infrared light, with the location of the black hole Sagittarius A* marked by a white star. From left to right, the images zoom in and show the region at different wavelengths. (Image credit: JWST, NASA, STScI, CSA, ESA, ESO/VLT)Related stories

"These findings could advance understanding of how metals are distributed around supermassive black holes in more distant galaxies, as well as the processes that supplied Earth with many of these elements," McGill researchers said in the statement. The metals' presence "influences how quickly gases cool, which in turn influences how readily the gas can be drawn into a black hole," they added.

See how much you know about black holes with our black hole quiz!

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