What Would Happen if SgrA* Became Active?

-- Emma | September 21, 2022

Artist impression of a supermassive black hole

Question:

I watched a documentary a few minutes ago that has information about the super-massive blackhole at the center of the milkyway but I wasn’t able to finish it and it left me with a question; whatwould happen if Sagittarius a star became active again? The documentary said that it was calm at the moment but might be showing signs of becoming active again someday and it just left me curious.

-- Emma

Answer:

When a black hole becomes more active it behaves much like “active galactic nuclei”, or AGN, found quite frequently in the Universe. AGN pull in large quantities of gas which is heated as it falls in toward the black hole which drives the AGN, causing the AGN to glow brightly in X-ray light. If the black hole near the center of our galaxy, SgrA*, became active like an AGN this activity would possibly influence the local region around SgrA*, but would have no affect on Earth.

-- Jeff Mangum

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