The First Black Hole Ever Discovered
The history of black holes dates back to Karl Schwarzschild, who developed the first equations describing them in the early part of the 20th century.
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However, it wouldn’t be until 1971 that various astronomers independently identified the first black hole, known as Cygnus X-1. Recently, astronomers announced they had discovered a mega-black hole around 2,000 lightyears from Earth.
Recent Discovery of Black Hole in Milky Way Galaxy
Researchers working on behalf of the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission spotted the black hole known as BH3 as they reviewed recent data, according to The Guardian.
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The advanced telescope that made the discovery was employed over a decade ago with the sole aim of producing a 3D map of over one billion stars.
The New Black Hole is 33x Larger Than the Sun.
The discovery came after astronomers had been reviewing the data from the Gaia observations when they noticed an unusual wobble from a star found in the Aquila constellation.
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After carefully studying the phenomenon, the researchers concluded that the star was being tugged by a stellar black hole around 33 times larger than our sun.
Astronomers Excited With the Discovery of BH3
The unprecedented discovery has been deemed so important that researchers released data on the discovery early to allow other astronomers to conduct further observations on BH3.
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Speaking on the nature of the find, Dr Pasquale Panuzzo, an astronomer and member of the Gaia collaboration at the Observatoire de Paris, said, “It’s a complete surprise.”
The Largest Black Hole in Our Galaxy.
The astronomer went on to explain the recently discovered black hole, BH3, is one of the largest ever discovered.
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“It is the most massive stellar origin black hole in our galaxy and the second nearest discovered so far,” said Panuzzo.
What Comes Next with BH3
“As soon as this comes out, people will rush to observe it to see if there are any emissions from the black hole,” Panuzzo said.
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“That will tell us about the wind that comes from stars like the one orbiting the black hole and also about the physics of the black hole and how matter falls into it.”
How Do Stellar Black Holes Form?
Stellar black holes like BH3 form when stars collapse at the end of their lifespan. Well over 20 have been discovered in our galaxy, with many weighing around ten times more than the sun.
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The largest black hole discovered in the Milky Way to date is Sagittarius A, which weighs a staggering million times more than our sun.
Further Observations on BH3
Astronomers carried out further observations on BH3, which confirmed the black hole’s mass.
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“Only the central black hole in the Milky Way is more massive than this one,” Panuzzo said.
Unique Attributes of BH3
“We have only seen black holes of this mass with gravitational waves in faraway galaxies,” said Panuzzo.
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“This makes the link between the stellar black holes we see in our galaxy and those gravitational wave discoveries.”
Once in a Lifetime Discovery
The discovery of BH3 has excited astronomers in the field due to the rarity of such a find.
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“This is the kind of discovery you make once in your research life,” said Panuzzo via USA Today.
European Space Agency Release a Statement on BH3
In a statement released by the European Space Agency, they said, “The discovery of the Gaia BH3 is only the beginning.”
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“Much remains to be investigated about its baffling nature.”