‘Sleeping Giant’ Black Hole Less Than 2,000 Light-Years from Earth

Astronomers have spotted the most massive known stellar black hole in the Milky Way galaxy after detecting an unusual wobble in space.

1. The so-called “sleeping giant,” named Gaia BH3, has a mass that is nearly 33 times that of our sun, and it’s located 1,926 light-years away in the Aquila constellation, making it the second-closest known black hole to Earth. The closest black hole is Gaia BH1, which is located about 1,500 light-years away and has a mass that is nearly 10 times that of our sun.

What is Gaia-BH3?

1. Astronomers recently spotted the most massive known stellar black hole in the Milky Way galaxy, named Gaia-BH3.
2. This black hole was spotted in data from the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission because it imposes an odd ‘wobbling’ motion on the companion star orbiting it.
3. Researchers used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile’s Atacama Desert, along with other ground-based observatories, to confirm the mass of Gaia BH3.
4. Gaia-BH3 has a mass nearly 33 times that of our sun and is located 1,926 light-years away in the Aquila constellation. This makes it the second-closest known black hole to Earth.
5. The closest black hole is Gaia BH1, which is located about 1,500 light-years away and has a mass nearly 10 times that of our sun.

Important Note: While Gaia-BH3 holds the title for the most massive stellar black hole in our galaxy, the supermassive black hole at the Milky Way's canter (Sagittarius A*) is far larger, with about 4 million times the mass of our sun.

Stellar black holes vs. Supermassive black holes

1. Stellar-mass black holes form from the gravitational collapse of a single star or from the merger of two neutron stars. They have masses similar to that of stars – typically ranging from about 3 to 50 times the mass of our sun.
2. Supermassive black holes are much larger, with masses exceeding 50,000 times the mass of our sun and often reaching millions or billions of solar masses. Scientists are still unsure how supermassive black holes form.
3. Supermassive black holes are found at the centers of most galaxies, including our own Milky Way. This suggests a potential connection between the formation of a galaxy and its central supermassive black hole.

Q1: What is a black hole?

A black hole is a region in space where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. This extreme gravity results from a massive amount of matter compressed into a tiny space, often caused by the collapse of a dying star. Black holes are difficult to detect directly since no light can escape them. The largest black holes are called "supermassive" and have masses exceeding millions of suns. Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity predicted the existence of black holes in 1916.

 

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