Riyadh: A telescope operated by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in Chile's Atacama Desert has detected the fastest-known star in the Milky Way, racing in orbit around the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy.

According to Saudi Press Agency, astronomer Stefan Gillessen of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics stated that the newly discovered star exhibits exceptional speed. This star orbits the black hole at a closer distance than any previously observed, completing one orbit in just 8.7 years. It utilizes the black hole's gravitational pull to accelerate without succumbing to it.

Several hundred stars orbit the giant black hole at close range, influenced by its immense gravity. Scientists have mapped the orbits of about 50 of these stars. The newly discovered star is approximately 10 times closer to the black hole than the previous record-holder, meaning it also experiences the effects of the black hole's rotation.