A newly discovered black hole in the Milky Way, named Gaia BH3, has astounded astronomers with its massive size. This black hole is 33 times more massive than the Sun, surpassing the previous record held by Cygnus X-1, which has a mass 21 times that of the Sun. Gaia BH3 is located just 2,000 light years away from Earth in the constellation Aquila and is now recognized as the second closest black hole to Earth ever detected, with Gaia BH1 being only 1,500 light years away.
Astronomers at Paris Observatory of National Center for Scientific Research expressed their astonishment over this discovery. The research detailing this discovery was recently published in Astronomy and Astrophysics on April 16th. Black holes are formed from the collapse of massive stars and grow by consuming gas, dust, other stars, and even black holes. They come in three categories: stellar black holes, supermassive black holes, and potentially intermediate-mass black holes. Gaia BH3 falls under the stellar category as it is much heavier than the sun.
To find Gaia BH3, scientists observed a star exhibiting unusual orbital movements using data from European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft. By cross-referencing data from Gaia with observations from Very Large Telescope in Chile they were able to confirm its existence and accurately determine its mass.
Further research is planned to study how Gaia BH3 was formed and its impact on surrounding matter. Initial findings suggest that its companion star lacks heavier elements indicating that small black holes can originate from stars that produce minimal heavy elements. Studying such phenomena provides valuable insights into universe’s expansion, formation of stars and planets and allows scientists to test various theories about cosmos.
In conclusion, this new discovery challenges our understanding of these enigmatic celestial objects and provides an opportunity for further exploration into their formation process and effects on surrounding matter.
