The huge black hole discovered

It is truly gigantic, compared to others that were detected before. The recently discovered huge black hole was found based on the latest data collected by the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission. Astronomers claim that it is the largest and closest hole of this type detected so far in the Milky Way.

It happened while researchers were reviewing observations from the Gaia space probe. They observed a clear wobble in one of Aquila’s stars. This is a constellation visible in the summer sky in the northern hemisphere. The movement suggested that the star was being pulled by a black hole much larger than the Sun. What was that?

The huge black hole discovered is close in astronomical terms.
The huge black hole discovered is close in astronomical terms.

Very closely

Observations from the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory, located in the Chilean Atacama Desert, confirm this. They calculated the mass of the hole, named BH3. Also the orbit of the star which revolves around the black hole once every 11.6 years.

«It is the most massive black hole of stellar origin in our galaxy. And the second closest discovered so far. It is detailed by the astronomer Pasquale Panuzzo, cited by Guardian.

Black holes typically form when massive stars collapse at the end of their lives. So far, dozens have been found in the Milky Way. And most weigh about 10 times the mass of the Sun. But the enormous black hole discovered this new one is 33 times more massive than the Sun.

It is expected to continue observing this stellar phenomenon.
It is expected to continue observing this stellar phenomenon.

Former presence

“We have only seen black holes of this mass in distant galaxies,” adds Panuzzo. The report is published in the magazine Astronomy & Astrophysics. They found in measurements of BH3’s companion star. There was no indication that it was impregnated with material from the stellar explosion that formed the black hole. That suggests the black hole formed long before trapping the companion star in its powerful gravitational field.

Scientists hope to take a closer look at the black hole and its star, hoping to continue unraveling its secrets.

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