Discussion: Swarm of Black Holes in the Milky Way

[Fraser]

SUMMARY: Astronomers have used the Chandra X-Ray Observatory to find black holes orbiting closely around the supermassive black hole at the heart of our Milky Way galaxy. These relatively small, stellar-mass black holes probably migrated towards the middle of the Milky Way over the course of several billion years. Researchers had been predicting that black holes would move inward through a process called "dynamical friction", where they swap positions with lower mass stars, pushing them to the outskirts of the galaxy. The team found several candidates within 3 light-years of the supermassive black hole, and calculate that there could be as many as 20,000.

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[Matthew]

This is not unexpected. Though I am surprised by the sheer number of black holes. Now when the comparitively small black holes either engulf each other or are engulfed by the supermassive black hole what will happen? And what are the chances of this happening any time soon (ie. with results to be coming to earth in the next hundred years)?

[Guest]

Actually, this makes sense. With the vast amount of stars in the central bulge (as described in a recent news graf), this expanse of black holes in the same area equilibriates the matter:energy ratio in the central bulge.