In a groundbreaking discovery, astronomers have uncovered BH3, the heaviest known stellar black hole in the Milky Way galaxy, measuring 33 times the mass of the Sun. The black hole was found by an international research team utilizing data from the Gaia space telescope.
Located 1,500 light years away from Earth, the black hole was revealed within a binary system where a visible star orbits an unseen massive companion. This discovery sheds light on the presence of stellar-mass black holes in our galaxy, with estimates suggesting there could be millions more in the Milky Way alone.
Stellar-mass black holes are born from the collapse of a star when it depletes its nuclear fuel. The BH3 black hole has been documented in the ‘Astronomy & Astrophysics’ journal for further examination. This significant finding opens up new avenues for research and understanding of these mysterious cosmic phenomena.
