Astronomers have discovered the heaviest stellar black hole in the Milky Way and it's only a startling 2,000 light-years away from Earth.
Black holes are a dime a dozen in the cosmos. These destructive and terrifying cosmic objects appear everywhere, including at the center of our galaxy. Now, though, astronomers have uncovered evidence of the heaviest black hole in the Milky Way, and it’s startlingly close to us. Reports on the new black hole indicate that it lies just 2,000 light years away from Earth in the constellation Aquila.
Gaia’s ongoing mission is to construct the most detailed 3D map of our galaxy, giving us additional insight into the Milky Way. It has taught us a lot about our little slice of the cosmos, including where a lot of black holes can be found. The researchers say that the star orbiting the now recorded holder for the heaviest black hole in the Milky Way was already known by astronomers. However, the fact that it had a black hole as a companion was extremely surprising.
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Humongous stellar-mass black hole is the biggest ever found in Milky WayLaura is a science news writer, covering a wide variety of subjects, but she is particularly fascinated by all things aquatic, paleontology, nanotechnology, and exploring how science influences daily life. Laura is a proud former resident of the New Jersey shore, a competitive swimmer, and a fierce defender of the Oxford comma.
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Most massive stellar black hole in the Milky Way discovered 'extremely close' to EarthBen Turner is a U.K. based staff writer at Live Science. He covers physics and astronomy, among other topics like tech and climate change. He graduated from University College London with a degree in particle physics before training as a journalist.
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