The Complete Idiot's Guide to 2012 - Dr. Synthia Andrews Nd [47]
The Mysterious Black Hole
Scientists say that most galaxies have black holes at their center, producing the energy the galaxy lives on. Black holes are super-dense gravity fields that draw energy and matter inside. Like a devouring monster, they consume everything in sight, but black holes have another side. They’re creators as well as destroyers. When a black hole feeds, powerful emissions fly into surrounding space. These emissions jump-start the formation of stars. It’s pretty clear to most scientists that we have a black hole in the center of the Milky Way and right now, in the center of our galaxy, strange things are happening. Is the Mayan prophecy unfolding? Is there really a stream of energy coming from the center of the galaxy? Astronomers have discovered three unique events in the center of the Milky Way: a loop-like structure 20 light-years across, unusual gravity waves, and radio emissions. Are these signs of changes happening in the heart of the galaxy?
Going Loopy
A loop-like structure was found in 2005 by a team of astronomers, including scientists from the University of Leicester and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics. The structure was viewed from a European x-ray satellite, XMM Newton, as part of the XMM Newton Galactic Center Survey project. It’s the first time anything like this has been detected in our galaxy. The scientists believe it’s producing subatomic particles with massive amounts of energy, acting like a cosmic particle accelerator. This does sound like the center of the galaxy is emitting energy, as the Maya say!
An interesting thing about the loop is that it’s nonthermal (meaning its not hot). So whatever the structure is, scientists say it’s not stationary and is part of an ongoing process. It may, in fact, relate to high-energy cosmic “rays.”
Gravity Waves
You’ve heard of electromagnetic energy waves, and you’ve heard of light waves, but how many people have heard of gravity waves? Einstein theorized the existence of gravity waves, but until now there was no way to detect them. New research facilities are being built to measure gravity waves hitting Earth. The research is being conducted by the California Institute of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Gravity waves are “ripples in the fabric of time-space” and are caused by violent events in the universe, such as the collision of two black holes or by supernova explosions. They’re emitted by accelerating mass. When gravity waves pass through matter, they create vibration. There may be a correlation between gravity waves and earth events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes due to the geological vibration they cause.
Codex Cues
The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) is a facility dedicated to the detection of cosmic gravitational waves and the harnessing of these waves for scientific research. You can find out more at www.ligo.caltech.edu/LIGO_web/about/factsheet.html. For more information about the correlation of gravity waves with past earthquakes, such as the December 26, 2004, Indonesian earthquake and tsunami, go to www.etheric.com/GalacticCenter/GRB.html.
Radio Waves
What else might lie at the center of the galaxy? A press release from the Naval Research Laboratory published on March 2, 2005, tells of a new discovery. Low-frequency coherent radio waves have been detected coming from the heart of the galaxy. Astronomer and professor Dr. Scott Hyman and his research team discovered the signal. It was made up of five highly energetic radio emissions of equal brightness. They lasted 10 minutes each and appeared every 77 minutes over a 7-hour period from September 30 to