Small wavelength shifts caused by the Doppler effect are used to measure the expansion velocities of each element independently. Most of the oxygen in the universe, for example, is synthesized in the interiors of relatively few massive stars like the one being studied here. When they explode, they expel the newly manufactured elements, which become part of the raw material for new stars and planets. The amount of oxygen in the E0102-72 ring is enough for a thousand solar systems. It looks like a faint quasar and is believed to be powered by gaseous matter falling into a supermassive black hole with 2.6 million times the mass of our sun.
Theorists are eager to hear the results of our observation so they can test their ideas.
This new result provides fresh insight that will no doubt stir heated debates on these issues. This poses a problem for theorists. The galactic center is a crowded place. Astronomers believe that most galaxies harbor massive black holes at their centers. Many of these black holes are thought to produce powerful and brilliant point-like sources of light that astronomers call quasars and active galactic nuclei.