European scientists at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have found the closest black hole to our solar system on record. The discovery took place while scientists were observing a system of two stars, and their observation was made from a facility in Chile.
A little less than 1000 light years away, this becomes the closest Black Hole to our planet, and the stars that orbit it can even be seen with the naked eye here on Earth!
Scientists believe the discovery is just the tip of the iceberg, as it could indicate that more black holes are very close to us that we don't know about. As the black hole does not emit light, and it is the least aggressive type, with nearby objects and does not emit strong X-rays, which made its confirmation possible thanks to the study of the interaction of its gravity with nearby objects. According to the person in charge of the group that made the discovery Thomas Rivinius, the fact that you now know exactly what to look for, will facilitate the discovery of the possible thousands of Black Holes that may be around us.
Content Index
What are Black Holes?
A Black Hole is nothing more than the most massive and dense object there is, with an absurd gravity from which not even light is able to escape. To get an idea of their density, some of the biggest ones can be the size of a city, a few kilometers and thousands of times the weight of our sun!
The difficulty found in observing them is that not even light can escape the fury of their gravity. As it is not possible to see them, to locate them it is necessary to observe how the objects behave in the face of the gravity that they exert, including light. The deformation that the gravity of a black hole causes in space-time, can even bend the path of light.
But how do they form?
Black holes form from the gravitational collapse of celestial bodies, which occurs in massive stars after burning almost all of their “fuel”. However, this depends on its size, and can either originate a neutron star or a black hole. The collapse of the star causes an explosion known as a Super Nova that releases enormous amounts of energy. During the explosion in instants of seconds, the entire mass of the star is compressed in its core. Shortly after the explosion, if the star is big enough, a black hole will appear.
What does a Black Hole look like?
The first image of one was recorded in 2019, considered one of the main scientific achievements of recent years. Its capture was only possible through the processing of an enormous amount of data, thanks to the code created by Jeremy Schnmittman. His code was able to process all the accumulated data generating a simulation of the real appearance of a black hole.
Dust, gas from stars, and debris, as they are caught by gravity in a hole. They become trapped in their orbit, and begin to spin at extreme speed and temperature.
also check:
