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Star S301 orbits Milky Way’s black hole at 25,000 km/s, fastest ever recorded

Discovery could allow first direct measurement of a black hole’s spin within a decade, scientists say

AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made

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This photo made with a long exposure and released by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) on Nov. 10, 2025, shows four lasers at ESO’s Paranal Observatory, each one launched from one of the four eight-meter telescopes on site in Taltal, Chile. (A. Berdeu/European Southern Observatory via AP)

What this story says

  • The star S301 orbits the Milky Way’s supermassive black hole at 25,000 km/s, the highest speed recorded for any star in the galaxy.
  • S301 completes an orbit every 8.7 years, closer to the black hole than any previously observed star.
  • Scientists say the star’s proximity could allow them to measure the black hole’s spin within about a decade.
  • No right-rated outlet reported the discovery, though it was covered by five left-rated and seven centre-rated outlets.

Who covered it

Left 46%(6)Centre 54%(7)Right 0%(0)

Percentages are shares of the 13 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. 4 of the 17 outlets we know ran this story carry no rating and are not counted in them. Coverage measured .

Trust

70/100

Craft

65/100

Hype

15/100

17 sources · methodology

Astronomers have discovered the fastest known star in the Milky Way, orbiting the galaxy’s central supermassive black hole at 25,000 kilometres per second. The star, designated S301, completes a full orbit every 8.7 years, closer to the black hole than any star previously observed. Its speed is approximately 8% the speed of light, as reported by Live Science.

The star was identified using data from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. The findings were published on 19 August 2026 in the journal Nature. Astronomers say S301’s orbit is so tight that it could enable the first direct measurement of the black hole’s spin, a property that has so far eluded observation. The black hole, known as Sagittarius A*, has a mass 4.3 million times that of the Sun.

Stefan Gillessen of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics, a co-author of the study, told the Associated Press that the star is "really, extremely fast". Tuan Do of the University of California, Los Angeles, who was not involved in the study, said the discovery was "just the tip of the iceberg" and predicted that fainter, faster stars may yet be found.

The five left-rated digests led on the star’s record-breaking speed. Associated Press, whose full report was published, described S301 as "the fastest known star in our galaxy" and quoted Gillessen’s remark that it was "really, extremely fast". Spiegel’s digest noted the star’s speed of 25,000 km/s and said it could soon allow researchers to measure the black hole’s rotation "directly for the first time". Helsingin Sanomat’s digest explained the speed as a result of the star’s close orbit around the black hole.

The seven centre-rated digests focused on the scientific implications of the discovery. Live Science’s digest led with the star’s potential to measure the black hole’s spin, calling it "the closest, fastest star ever seen" and noting its speed as 8% the speed of light. Science News and Popular Science both framed the star as a test of Einstein’s general theory of relativity. Rutland Herald’s digest described the star as harnessing the black hole’s gravity to "fly faster without falling in".

None of the digests from right-rated outlets mentioned the discovery. The left-rated digests did not include the star’s designation, S301, which was reported by Live Science, Spiegel and Heise. The centre-rated digests did not quote the scientists involved, unlike the Associated Press report.

Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 3 times, most recently on 19 Aug 2026, 16:30, and will add the sides that appear.

How each side covered it

Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.

Left

6 rated outlets

  • All six left-rated outlets reported that a star designated S301 orbits the Milky Way’s central black hole at 25,000 kilometres per second, the highest speed recorded for any star in the galaxy. Five of the six led with this figure.
  • Spiegel and Helsingin Sanomat added that the star’s proximity to the black hole may allow direct measurement of the black hole’s rotation. Spiegel specified this could happen soon. The Associated Press report included the orbital period of 8.7 years and noted the star is ten times closer to the black hole than the previous record holder.
  • The Associated Press quoted astronomer Stefan Gillessen calling the star “extremely fast” and Tuan Do saying the discovery is “just the tip of the iceberg”. No other left-rated digest or report mentioned these researchers or their statements.

Centre

7 rated outlets

  • Centre-rated outlets led on the star S301 reaching 25,000 kilometres per second, the fastest speed recorded for a star orbiting the Milky Way’s central black hole. All seven reports included the star’s orbital period of 8.7 years and its proximity to the black hole, closer than any previously observed star.
  • City News, Live Science, and Science News noted the potential to measure the black hole’s spin using S301’s orbit. Live Science and Popular Science specified the star’s designation as S301. The digests from WTVB, Rutland Herald, and Winnipeg Free Press did not mention the star’s name or the spin-measurement potential.
  • City News quoted astronomer Stefan Gillessen describing the star as “extremely fast” and included commentary from Tuan Do on the likelihood of discovering even faster stars. No other centre-rated outlet included direct quotes from researchers.

Right

0 rated outlets

No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.

Read it at the source

17 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.

Left

6

Centre

7

Right

0

No outlet in this group ran the story.

Not rated

4

Questions about this coverage

How did the left and right cover Star S301 orbits Milky Way’s black hole at 25,000 km/s, fastest ever…?
Of the 13 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 46% are rated left, 54% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it, which was 17. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
Is Star S301 orbits Milky Way’s black hole at 25,000 km/s, fastest ever… left or right?
Neither side dominates it. Of the 13 rated outlets on this story, 46% are rated left, 54% are rated centre, 0% are rated right, and no side holds the 70% this site would want before calling a field one-sided. A story is not left or right in any case; the outlets that carried it are what carry ratings.
Is the coverage of Star S301 orbits Milky Way’s black hole at 25,000 km/s, fastest ever… biased?
Star S301 orbits Milky Way’s black hole at 25,000 km/s, fastest ever recorded is one event reported by 17 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
Which outlets covered Star S301 orbits Milky Way’s black hole at 25,000 km/s, fastest ever…?
17 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
How fast is the star S301 moving?
The star S301 orbits the Milky Way’s central black hole at 25,000 kilometres per second, or about 8% the speed of light. This is the fastest speed recorded for any star in the galaxy, as reported by the Associated Press and Live Science.
Why is this star important for scientists?
S301’s tight orbit around the black hole could allow scientists to measure the black hole’s spin for the first time. This would test Einstein’s general theory of relativity and provide new insights into the properties of supermassive black holes, according to digests from Live Science and Science News.
Which outlets reported the discovery?
The discovery was reported by five left-rated outlets, including the Associated Press and Spiegel, and seven centre-rated outlets, such as Live Science and Science News. No right-rated outlet carried the story, as noted in the coverage comparison.

How did this read?

About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.

Star S301 orbits Milky Way’s black hole at 25,000 km/s | MediaBias News