Astronomers discover huge black hole ‘virtually in our backyard’ | Science
The newly discovered black hole is closer to Earth than any other black hole discovered to date. Just 1,550 light-years away, the black hole is “virtually in Earth’s backyard”, the researchers say.
It is always a challenge for astronomers to discover black holes. The gravity of a black hole is so great that not even light can escape. As a result, black holes can only be discovered indirectly.
Astronomers are primarily interested in how stars move through the universe. Deviations may indicate the presence of a black hole. To discover this black hole, scientists examined the movements of 200,000 so-called binary stars.
Photographing a black hole is almost impossible. Astronomers succeeded for the first time in 2019. Earlier this year, so far best picture made of a black hole. This black hole is at a distance of 27,000 light years from Earth.
Scientists are learning more and more about black holes. Finding a black hole so close to Earth will also help. More than a million black holes are probably hidden in the Milky Way, the galaxy of which our Sun and Earth are part.