Another strangely shaped phenomenon near the Galactic Center is the long ΓÇ£tailΓÇ¥ of ionized gas streaming out from Sagittarius A. The material in the tail is believed to be from a red supergiant known as IRS 7, an aging star that has expanded to tremendous size. A red supergiant could easily engulf 300 to 400 Suns. Eventually, our own Sun will become a red giant and will swallow the Earth.
The outer regions or ΓÇ£envelopesΓÇ¥ of red giants are thin and can easily be stripped away by interstellar winds or other, similar types of pressure; even radiation can exert pressure on the thin gas. Astrono- mers believe IRS 7 is being disrupted in this way.
