Milky Way's super-massive black hole was active...

[najab]

The centre of our galaxy has been known for years to host a black hole, a 'super-massive' yet very quiet one. New observations with Integral, the European Space Agency's gamma-ray observatory, have now revealed that 350 years ago the black hole was much more active, releasing a million times more energy than at present. Scientists expect that it will become active again in the future. <br /><br />SpaceFligtNow link.<p>Okay, here's my question - the radiation from this event would have passed us already, right? They detected it hitting a cloud of gas 350LY away from the SMBH, but we're more than 20,000LY away (and so we're seeing what happened 20,000 years in the past) Does that mean that the radiation is still coming our direction?</p>

 

[nexium]

Lets say we are exactly 25,650 LY away from the black hole; the flare up occurred 26,000 years ago: The gas cloud is about 150 LY farther from us than the the black hole. Perhaps 200 LY from the black hole The nuetrinos, light and other photons from the flare up reached Earth 350 years ago. The light reflected off the cloud 25,800 LY ago; traveled 26,000 LY, total so it is arriving now. The fastest ion radiation from the flare up will still be enroute for many more years. The slower ions will take about a million years to reach Earth. Likely the accreation disk of the black hole captured and shreaded about a solar mass of matter about 26,350 years ago causing the flare up. If that is wrong please correct. Neil

 

[thechemist]

The respective space.com article :<br /><br />"The whole scene is about 26,000 light-years from Earth. In reality, the black hole's outburst occurred some 26,350 years ago. But it has taken the black hole's radiation 26,350 years to hit the gas cloud, be redirected, and reach Earth."<br /><br />I guess they're pretty sure the gas cloud is on the other side of the galaxy, so we should not worry !<br />This granted, direct electromagnetic radiation from the burst hit Earth at about 1650 AD. <br />Anything strange logged in historical records at that time ? <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[tom_hobbes]

There was The Little Ice Age, roughly around then.<br /><br />http://www.grisda.org/origins/10051.htm<br /><br />http://www2.sunysuffolk.edu/mandias/lia/little_ice_age.html <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#339966"> I wish I could remember<br /> But my selective memory<br /> Won't let me</font><font size="2" color="#99cc00"> </font><font size="3" color="#339966"><font size="2">- </font></font><font size="1" color="#339966">Mark Oliver Everett</font></p><p> </p> </div>

 

[hayagreeva]

Post deleted by drwayne

 

[crono21]

I have a question, if the black hole became majorly active again. Would we notice? Or would it take millions of years to notice?

 

[thechemist]

Since we are 26,000 light years away, if it becomes active now, we would see it after 26,000 years (too far away to worry !).<br /><br />However, for all we now, it might got active 25,995 years ago. In this case, we will learn about it after five years, which is a close 2010. <img src="/images/icons/wink.gif" /><br /><br />The problem is we have only seen one burst so far, so we do not know how often they happen. <br /><br />tom_hobbes - Interesting ! I'm sure paleoclimatologists will elaborate on wether such bursts could have affected the climate. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[crono21]

But I mean, it wouldnt have any phyiscal effects on our region? The planet wouldnt start to slowly be pulled towards it right?

 

[tom_hobbes]

Probably not. <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font size="2" color="#339966"> I wish I could remember<br /> But my selective memory<br /> Won't let me</font><font size="2" color="#99cc00"> </font><font size="3" color="#339966"><font size="2">- </font></font><font size="1" color="#339966">Mark Oliver Everett</font></p><p> </p> </div>

 

[thechemist]

No worries about being swallowed by the black hole <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /><br /><br />If we manage not to destroy earth ourselves, asteroid impacts are probably the biggest threat, not black holes <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <em>I feel better than James Brown.</em> </div>

 

[crono21]

Oh, good.. I feel much better now.. I was worried cause ive seen simulations of what they can do.. And its not pretty.