Astronomers discovered Gaia BH3, the most massive stellar black hole in the Milky Way with a mass of nearly 33 solar masses.
Challenges our understanding of how massive stars develop and evolve. Previously, stellar black holes of this size had only been observed in distant galaxies.
Detected using data from Gaia space telescope and confirmed through observations with Very Large Telescope and other ground-based observatories.
Located approximately 1,926 light-years away from Earth in the Aquila constellation.
Significant for new insights into the formation of high-mass black holes and their relationship to metal-poor stars.
In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers have identified the most massive stellar black hole in the Milky Way galaxy, named Gaia BH3. This black hole, which is located approximately 1,926 light-years away from Earth in the Aquila constellation, has a mass of nearly 33 times that of our sun. The discovery was made using data from the European Space Agency's Gaia space telescope and confirmed through observations with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope and other ground-based observatories.
Gaia BH3 is significant because it challenges our understanding of how massive stars develop and evolve. Until now, stellar black holes of this size had only been observed in very distant galaxies. The discovery also offers new insights into the formation of high-mass black holes and their relationship to metal-poor stars.
The detection of Gaia BH3 was made possible by observing the wobbling movement of an old giant star orbiting around it. Researchers used this information to calculate the mass and distance of the black hole. The companion star is likely metal-poor, indicating that the star that formed Gaia BH3 was also likely metal-poor.
The discovery of Gaia BH3 has important implications for our understanding of black holes and their role in the universe. It also highlights the importance of continued research and observation in astronomy and astrophysics.
Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) at University College London, Gaia collaboration member, Pasquale Panuzzo, et al. (2024). The discovery of a massive black hole in the Milky Way using Gaia and ground-based observations. Astronomy & Astrophysics. https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/abs/2024/13/
Astronomers have discovered a massive black hole named Gaia BH3 with a mass nearly 33 times that of our sun, located 1,926 light-years away in the Aquila constellation.
Gaia BH3 is the second-closest known black hole to Earth and the most massive known stellar black hole in the Milky Way galaxy.
The discovery was made while astronomers combed through observations taken by the European Space Agency’s Gaia space telescope for an upcoming data release.
Dormant black holes like Gaia BH3 don’t have a close enough companion to munch on, making them difficult to spot and not generating any light. In contrast, other stellar black holes siphon material from companion stars and generate bright X-rays that can be detected through telescopes.
The wobbling movement of an old giant star in the Aquila constellation revealed it was in an orbital dance with Gaia BH3.
Researchers used the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope and other ground-based observatories to confirm Gaia BH3’s mass.
The study has offered new clues about how such huge black holes come to be, suggesting that metal-poor stars with hydrogen and helium as their heaviest elements may collapse to form them.
Gaia BH3 is exceptional within our galaxy, but similar in mass to objects found in very distant galaxies.
Astronomers had not been able to find evidence directly linking high-mass black holes and metal-poor stars until the discovery of Gaia BH3.
The star orbiting Gaia BH3 is likely metal-poor, indicating that the star that formed Gaia BH3 was also likely metal-poor.
The chemical composition of the companion star is similar to what is found in old metal-poor stars in the Milky Way, suggesting a link between high-mass black holes and metal-poor stars.
A large black hole with a mass of nearly 33 times the mass of the Sun has been discovered by ESA's Gaia mission, hidden in the constellation Aquila.
This is the first time a black hole of stellar origin this big has been spotted within the Milky Way.
The discovery challenges our understanding of how massive stars develop and evolve.
Black holes of this type have only been observed in very distant galaxies so far.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The article contains an appeal to authority when it states 'So far, black holes this big have only ever been detected in distant galaxies by the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA collaboration.' This statement implies that because a specific organization has made a discovery, it is valid and cannot be challenged. However, this does not provide any logical reasoning or evidence for why the discovery of a large black hole within the Milky Way is surprising or significant. Additionally, there are several instances of inflammatory rhetoric used to describe the discovery as a 'sleeping giant' and a 'big surprise.' These phrases do not add any substantive information to the article and are simply meant to grab the reader's attention.
]So far, black holes this big have only ever been detected in distant galaxies by the LIGO–Virgo–KAGRA collaboration.[
Astronomers discovered an enormous stellar black hole named BH3, which is the most massive one yet found in the Milky Way and located 2,000 light years from Earth.
BH3 has a mass of 33 times that of the sun.
The discovery was made through observing a companion star's wobble caused by BH3's gravitational pull.
Accuracy
The discovery was made through observing a companion star’s wobble caused by BH3’s gravitational pull.
Further observations confirmed BH3’s mass and the star’s orbit, which circles it once every 11.6 years.
BH3 is the second nearest stellar black hole discovered so far in the Milky Way.
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(95%)
The author makes several statements in the article that are not fallacious. However, there is one instance of an appeal to authority when Dr. Pasquale Panuzzo states 'It's a complete surprise. It is the most massive stellar origin black hole in our galaxy and the second nearest discovered so far.' This statement does not provide any evidence or reasoning for why this black hole is significant other than his expert opinion.
'It's a complete surprise,' said Dr Pasquale Panuzzo, an astronomer and member of the Gaia collaboration at the Observatoire de Paris. 'It is the most massive stellar origin black hole in our galaxy and the second nearest discovered so far.'
