The Galactic Center cloud G2 and its gas streamer

Understand

We present new, deep near-infrared SINFONI @ VLT integral field spectroscopy of the gas cloud G2 in the Galactic Center, from late summer 2013 and spring 2014.

• G2 is visible in recombination line emission.
• The spatially resolved kinematic data track the ongoing tidal disruption.
• As expected for an observation near pericenter passage, roughly half of the gas in 2014 is found at the redshifted, pre-pericenter side of the orbit, while the other half is at the post-pericenter, blueshifted side.