Discovery of Galactic-centre-ejected star in DESI DR1

¹ Leiden Observatory, Leiden University, PO Box 9513, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
² Institute for Astronomy, University of Edinburgh, Royal Observatory, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK
³ Institute of Astronomy, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0HA, UK

^★ Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Received: 23 January 2026
Accepted: 7 March 2026

Abstract

Hypervelocity stars (HVSs) are stars ejected from the Galactic centre (GC) through tidal interactions with the central supermassive black hole. Formed in the immediate vicinity of Sgr A^*, these stars are accelerated to velocities high enough to escape the GC and be observable in the Galactic halo. Using spectroscopy from the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) and astrometry from Gaia, we conducted a six-dimensional search for HVSs and identified a compelling candidate, hereafter called DESI-312, whose bound trajectory can be confidently traced back to the central 2 kpc of our galaxy. The star resides in the inner halo and exhibits supersolar metallicity ( [Fe/H] = 0.27 ± 0.09), which makes it distinct from other known stellar populations with radial orbits. Its inferred GC ejection velocity of 698-27 is consistent with a Hills mechanism ejection, and suggests its origin lies in the innermost regions of the Milky Way. We considered alternative origins for the star, including disc ejections from young clusters and globular clusters, but these scenarios fail to explain both its orbit and metallicity. Unlike previously identified A- and B-type HVSs, DESI-312 is a ∼1 M_⊙ star on the main sequence or early sub-giant branch, which enables a detailed chemical analysis of its atmosphere and offers a rare window -unobscured by dust and crowding - into the composition of the central regions of the Galaxy.