The two stars orbit a location between them about twice a year. The group published a paper that not only confirmed the Gaia observation, but went on to demonstrate that what they were seeing was a sun-like star (class G), with a mass of 93% that of the Sun, orbiting a black hole with a mass of 9.62 ± 0.18 solar masses. This data piqued the curiosity of a group of astronomers, who turned the Gemini North telescope on Hawaii, one of the twin telescopes of the International Gemini Observatory to study the mysterious behavior. However, relevant to Gaia BH1 was the observation of a particular star “jiggling” in place, as if it were orbiting another star - one scientists couldn’t see. It’s a staggeringly ambitious mission, and one that has been astonishingly successful, making many advances in astronomical knowledge. Gaia’s mission is to map the location and motion of a billion nearby stars in the galaxy. In December 2013, a Soyuz ST-B blasted from a launch facility in French Guiana carrying the Gaia telescope. Gaia BH1 is an example of such a system, with the twist that one of the two stars is a black hole. Perhaps half of planetary systems containing a sunlike star contain two stars orbiting one another. Instead, it was detected by seeing its effect on a second star in its planetary system. Gaia BH1 was not directly observed, nor is it a feeding black hole. This is how most known black holes have been observed, although this is not the case of Gaia BH1. Perhaps ironically, “feeding” black holes, as they are called, are some of the brightest things in the cosmos. This glowing hot gas emits light that can be detected, an interstellar torch that is easily visible with the right scientific instruments. As it falls into the hole, it heats up to incredible temperatures. If black holes are surrounded by gas, or in the proximity of a nearby star, the hole’s gravity will pull in the gas. “Black holes” is a literal name for these cosmic ninjas, which are undetectable in the way that we see other stars.īut that’s only true for isolated black holes. Their name comes from the fact that not only do they emit no light, but they also absorb all light that falls into them. However, the story of how the black hole was discovered is an interesting one.īlack holes are the remnants of long-dead stars. Gaia BH1: our astronomical neighborĪt a distance of 1,600 light years away, the black hole poses no danger to humanity so, you can still sleep soundly at night. This black hole is called “Gaia BH1” and its discovery provides astronomers with a nearby laboratory with which they can better understand how black holes are made. Luckily, black holes are thought to be “out there” and far away.īut a black hole recently discovered by astronomers is the closest one ever found, practically an astronomical neighbor. They have been the subject of many science fiction thrillers, including the 2014 movie Interstellar, and they are often portrayed as dangerous monsters that consume everything around them. Black holes are ubiquitous throughout the Universe, with more than 100 million thought to exist in our Milky Way alone. No other cosmic phenomenon is perhaps quite as fascinating as black holes, locations where gravity is so strong that they twist the very nature of the space and time around them - so strongly that not even light can escape their pull.
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