Astronomers have recently made a groundbreaking discovery of the largest stellar black hole in the Milky Way, named Gaia BH3. With a mass 33 times that of the Sun, this black hole was found using data collected by the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission, which is dedicated to mapping the Milky Way galaxy.
The discovery of Gaia BH3 was unexpected and considered a rare find in astronomical research. Scientists noticed a “wobbling” motion in a companion star orbiting the black hole, leading to its identification. This stellar black hole was created from the collapse of a massive star, unlike supermassive black holes whose origins are still unknown.
Gaia BH3 is classified as a “dormant” black hole since it is too far from its companion star to strip it of matter and does not emit X-rays. This discovery marks the third inactive black hole discovered by Gaia’s telescope, making it an exciting time for astronomical research.
Gaia has been in operation for over 10 years, delivering a 3D map of the positions and motions of over 1.8 billion stars in 2022. This latest discovery sheds light on the diversity of black holes in our galaxy and opens up new possibilities for future research.
Further observations from on-the-ground telescopes confirmed that this was indeed the largest stellar black hole discovered so far in the Milky Way galaxy. The discovery of Gaia BH3 is an exciting breakthrough that will undoubtedly lead to further discoveries and advancements in our understanding of these mysterious celestial objects.
In conclusion, astronomers have made an incredible discovery with Gaia BH3, which has opened up new possibilities for research into stellar black holes. With more data being collected every day through missions like Gaia, who knows what other secrets we might uncover about our universe?