Scientists Unveil Discovery Of Closest Black Holes To Earth Yet

Scientists have found a pair of black holes that sits extremely close to Earth. The black holes are situated in what may be called Earth's cosmic backyard - with one being the closest one to Earth to have been discovered till date.

Using data from the European Space Agency's (ESA) Gaia mission, scientists discovered the two black holes with assistance from many ground-based telescopes around the world.

NASA/CXC/SAO

Closest black holes to Earth

The two black holes are being called Gaia BH1 and Gaia BH2 and are the closest to Earth of any black holes found so far, ESA said. Gaia BH1 is situated only 1,560 light-years away - about thrice as close as the previous record holder. Gaia BH2 is situated 3,800 light-years away.

Both the black holes are nine to 10 times bigger than our solar system's Sun and are situated in the Milky Way galaxy itself. Now, you must be wondering why it took so long to find these black holes are situated so close by.

ESA

Also read: Astronomers Discover Ultramassive Black Hole 30 Billion Times Larger Than Sun

The problem with black holes is that they're pretty much invisible - for there is no light emanating from them. But most black holes show up on the radars of scientists when they consume a star or gas - leaving a trail of electromagnetic radiation that is then traced to ascertain whether it's a black hole.

The Gaia BH1 and Gaia BH2 black holes are completely dormant, though, i.e., they haven't consumed anything in the recent past. To discover these black holes, scientists tracked the movements of two Sun-like companion stars that were orbiting them.

When the stars were moving, they showed signs of a wobble, indicating that something with very strong gravity was nearby. They assumed it would be a star but found nothing - implying that only a black hole could be involved. The black holes, discovered in late 2022, are now being studied owing to their unique nature.

NASA

Also read: Hubble Captures Supermassive Black Hole Eating A Star Millions Of Light Years Away

Scientists think that the black holes represent a new type of category that has never been seen before, ESA said. The research was published on March 30 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

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