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At three million miles per hour RX J0822-4300 has ample velocity to escape the Milky Way forever. However, even at such a great speed, it will take millions of years to travel all the way out of the galaxy. "When you have an exceptional speed, it's bye-bye baby," said Winkler of RX J0822-4300's galactic escape velocity. Ten other "hypervelocity" stars, as astronomers call them, have been observed, but they are associated with the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy, said stellar researcher Scott Kenyon of the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. The tremendous gravity of the black hole helps to speed up the stars and sling them away. "This (neutron star) is a different phenomenon than what we call hypervelocity stars," said Kenyon. Stars kicked by supernova are more often referred to as "run-away stars," he said. What's more, both kinds of fast-moving stars are probably not as rare as they appear. "For every one we see there are many we don't." Related Links: |
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