The object at the core of the Milky Way might not be a black hole at all, scientists say

MSN.com (via Futurism) ^ | 15 February 2026 | Frank Landymore

[zeestephen]

The traditional understanding is that the center of our galaxy is dominated by a supermassive black hole...Instead of a black hole, there could be...a colossal clump of dark matter, the substance thought to account for 85 percent of all mass in the cosmos.

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TOPICS: Astronomy; Chit/Chat; Science
KEYWORDS: astronomy; blackhole; darkenergy; darkforce; darkhole; darkmatter; neutrinos; physics; science; speedofdark; stringtheory; whatdoesitmatter

[zeestephen]

From MSN.com link:

"Dark matter, though a cornerstone of modern cosmology, remains hypothetical. Its existence was inferred after astronomers realized that the visible, ordinary matter contained in galaxies wouldn't exert enough gravity to hold themselves together, given the speeds that galaxies rotate at. In their models, dark matter provides the gravitational glue that keeps these vast realms from flying apart."

[Jonty30]

It is a caramel centre.

Where is my research grant?

[coloradan]

If there’s enough mass there to imply a large-enough Swartchild radius, even if it was dark matter, I think you’d still end up with a black hole.

[ClearCase_guy]

1) You are not allowed to question the science.
2) The science is often made up because someone thinks they have a swell idea.

[Sacajaweau]

Same guys telling us all about climate change??

[Williams]

Dark matter just means something we have no proof exists but it would be whatever can explain the way everything else is behaving.

Kind of interesting to see “scientists” make something up and talk as if it really exists.

And while they are at it, the massive black hole they say is at the center of the galaxy, might not exist.

In Deliverance when Burt Reynolds can’t find the river, the hillbillies shout at him: “It’s only the biggest Fing river in the whole gd state! “

This would be bigger.

[plsvn]

I’ve wondered if there is some sort of association of dark matter to the material that “disappears” into black holes?

[Skwor]

Finally, this is being admitted. The inability of gravity alone to hold the spinning structures of the universe together has been known for a VERY LONG TIME.

The scientific community has known this but kept it out of mainstream conscious and basic education because it contradicted the current best model. Can’t have people challenging the science, we might start asking questions they don’t like.

Post Modern Science is more cult and religion than a pure pursuit of knowledge and understanding. One must believe in the approved tenants to move up the hierarchy.

[Carry_Okie]

Post Modern Science is more cult and religion than a pure pursuit of knowledge and understanding. One must believe in the approved tenants to move up the hierarchy.

Especially in life sciences. They involve everything we touch and use, thus constituting effective control points for execution of regulatory racketeering.

[Flatus I. Maximus]

> .a colossal clump of dark matter,

Nougat? Dark chocolate?

[Carry_Okie]

One must believe in the approved tenants to move up the hierarchy. as exemplified via AI, which rests upon "peer reviewed" science.

This is where I am enjoying using AI to find the bogus lynchpins betraying the ignorance underlying prevailing "scientific" conclusions. Often it takes interacting with two LLMs simultaneously on separate tabs, lest they get suspicious and start trying to turn the exchange.

[Skwor]

Clever, I use a cruder but likely as effective technique. If I see the words “Scientific Consensus,” I assume it is bunk until proven otherwise :)

[BenLurkin]

[Carry_Okie]

If I see the words “Scientific Consensus,” I assume it is bunk until proven otherwise :)

While valid, it's not a way to detect and characterize the underpinning BS. There's a whole lot of "we don't know" missing in scientific discourse and therefore in AI.

[Chad_the_Impaler]

True. The dark matter hypothesized here is fermionic, so there is degeneracy pressure supporting the clump just like a neutron star or white dwarf. As in those astrophysical objects, if the clump becomes large enough, it will necessarily collapse to form a black hole.

[tired&retired]

There’s got to be a black hole with anti matter on the other side to balance us out.

[Bratch]

[Skwor]

I agree that comment was more tongue in check

[IDFbunny]

Why can’t the supermassive black hole account for all the missing matter that would make a spiral galaxy work? It’s supermassive, duh.

[2nd Amendment]

The Webb Hubble telescope disproved almost all of cosmology