Astronomers Discover Closest Black Hole to Earth, Say It's 10 Times Bigger Than the SunAstronomers have discovered the closest known black hole to Earth, which is 1,600 light-years away and is 10 times larger than the sun, according to a new study published on Nov. 4.
The stellar-mass black hole, dubbed “Gaia BH1,” is located in the constellation Ophiuchus, according to the U.S.-based National Optical-Infrared Astronomy Research Laboratory (NOIRLab).
Scientists said that Gaia BH1 is dormant and three times closer to Earth than the previous record-holder, an X-ray binary located 3,000 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros.
Gaia BH1 was found by observing the motion of its companion, a sun-like star that orbits the black hole at about the same distance as the Earth orbits the sun, according to NOIRLab....
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