A black hole
has been found
lurking close by
– and it’s a massive one.
ESO News Record-breaking stellar black hole found nearby
At 33 times the mass of the sun,
BH3 is the most massive
black hole known in the Milky way
formed from the collapse of a star.
Researchers found it by observing
the motion of a star orbiting it
using data from the Gaia space mission.
Data from ESO’s Very Large Telescope
and other telescopes on the ground
was used to confirm its mass
which is 1.5 times greater than that
of the previous record holder, Cygnus X-1.
BH3 lives a mere 2000 light-years from Earth,
making this monster
the second-closest black hole
ever discovered.
Music: Stellardrone – Introspace. Written by: L. Spillman, D. Curic, E. Reiriz Martínez. Footage and photos: ESO, M. Kornmesser, L. Calçada, D. Gasparri