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Earth is way closer to a supermassive black hole than we thought
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Earth is way closer to a supermassive black hole than we thought

But scientists say not to worry.

Science & Tech

A new map of the Milky Way created by the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan shows Earth is spiraling faster and is 2,000 light years closer to the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy than was previously thought.

In 1985, the International Astronomical Union announced that Earth was 27,700 light years away from the black hole, named Sagittarius A*. But a 15-year analysis through Japanese radio astronomy project VERA found that the Earth is actually only 25,800 light years away. They also found that Earth is moving 7 km/s faster than they previously believed.

Sagittarius A* and black holes of the like are dubbed "supermassive" for a reason — they are billions of times more massive than the sun.

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But the NAOJ said there is no need to worry, as the latest data does not indicate the planet is "plunging towards the black hole." It just means there is now a "better model of the Milky Way galaxy."