Sky News has reported the detection of a massive black hole named Gaia BH3 lurking relatively close to Earth, just 2,000 light years away.
Pasquale Panuzzo, an astronomer from the National Centre for Scientific Research at the Observatoire de Paris, expressed astonishment, stating, "No one was expecting to find a high-mass black hole lurking nearby, undetected so far. This is the kind of discovery you make once in your research life."
Gaia BH3 now ranks as the second-closest black hole to Earth and resides in the Aquila constellation, which means "eagle" in Latin.
Its presence came to light when scientists from the European Southern Observatory's Gaia mission observed a wobbly star orbiting its vicinity.
Black holes form from collapsing stars. In the case of Gaia BH3, the wobbly star orbiting it is anticipated to offer crucial insights into the black hole's formation process.
When stars near the end of their life cycle, most transform into "white dwarfs." However, if a dying star lacks sufficient mass or heavy elements, it collapses into a black hole instead, a phenomenon often associated with "metal-poor" stars.
This year has seen significant discoveries in black hole research, including the detection of the oldest known black hole, dating back nearly 13 billion years.
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