Scientists detect black hole closest to Earth

Last Friday (4), a study was published. astronomers claim to have detected black hole closest to Earth, located just 1,600 light-years away Researchers were able to discover the astronomical object using the Gemini International Observatory in Hawaii (USA), operated by the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) NOIRLab. Nicknamed Gaia BH1

The discovery marks the first record of a dormant stellar-mass black hole in the Milky Way. — typically, these objects weigh between 5 and 100 times the mass of the Sun, and most of the few objects found are active.

According to the data, Gaia BH1 is about 10 times bigger than ours Sun and only 1,600 light-years from Earththat is, three times more than the last black hole described as ‘closest’ to our planet in the Monoceros constellation. While the detection was accidental, the team of scientists analyzed data from the European Space Agency’s space telescope Gaia.

“While many detections of systems like this have been claimed, nearly all of these findings were later refuted. “This is the first definitive detection of a Sun-like star in a large orbit around a stellar-mass black hole in our galaxy,” said Kareem El-Badry, astrophysicist and lead author of the study.

Black hole: Gaia BH1

Initially, the telescope captured data corresponding to the gravity of a massive unseen object. To better understand, astronomers used the Gemini International Observatory’s instruments to measure the information and discovered that a star was orbiting the black hole.

When disabled, Gaia BH1 becomes almost identifiable as its information is mixed with ambient data. Fortunately, the researchers were able to analyze the star in its orbit to better understand the black hole.

“Our follow-up observations of the twins confirmed, beyond any reasonable doubt, that it contains a normal star and at least one dormant black hole. We could not find a plausible astrophysical scenario that could explain the observed trajectory of the system that did not contain at least one black hole,” El-Badry said.