Safe Zone for Stars Around Black Holes

Dozens of massive stars, destined for short but brilliant lives, were born less than a light-year from the Milky Way’s central black hole, one of the most hostile environments in our galaxy, astronomers reported Thursday.

Researchers using the orbiting Chandra X-ray Observatory and other instruments believe there is a safe zone around black holes, a big dust ring where stars can form. The findings contradict theories that massive stars form elsewhere and migrate toward the black hole, said researcher Sergei Nayakshin of the University of Leicester in Britain.