Debriefing session recently reported Scientists from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission have discovered a black hole with a mass 33 times the mass of the sun. This is the largest stellar black hole ever discovered in the Milky Way.
of discoveryThe data, discovered after Gaia’s fourth data release, could shed new light on the formation and prevalence of black holes throughout the known universe.
The black hole, named Gaia BH3, is part of a binary star system about 590 parsecs from Earth. The discovery is important because it questions the mass of black holes and current models of star evolution and black hole formation, the report said.
Black holes are mysterious regions of the universe Gravity is so strong here that not even light can escape from it. Although they are invisible to the naked eye, they are usually identified by the high-energy radiation they emit when interacting with other stars or gas clouds.
However, the report noted that Gaia BH3 does not interact with its companion star, making it a “dormant” black hole. It is only detectable by its gravitational influence on its companions.
Gaia collaboration member Pasquale Panuzzo, Said: “No one expected that a previously undiscovered massive black hole would be lurking nearby.”
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery in my research life.”
of Gaia satellites are specially designed Map the positions of billions of stars with unparalleled accuracy. The latest black hole detection was made by observing small wobbles in the motion of a companion star that cause the black hole’s gravitational pull.
in Gaia websiteThe mission is described as follows:
Gaia creates highly accurate three-dimensional maps of more than 10 million stars in and around the Milky Way, mapping their movement, brightness, temperature, and composition. This massive stellar survey will provide the data needed to address a vast range of important questions about the origin, structure, and evolutionary history of galaxies.
Elisabetta Cuffo, member of Gaia Collaboration, stated in a statement: “What strikes me is that the chemical composition of the companion star is similar to that seen in older metal-poor stars in galaxies.”
“There is no evidence that this star was contaminated by material ejected from the supernova explosion of the massive star that became BH3.”
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