Hidden black hole discovered in our neighbouring galaxy
CTV
A newly discovered black hole has been hiding in a cluster containing thousands of stars in our neighbouring Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy.
Astronomers found it by using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile and observing how the black hole's gravity influenced the motion of a nearby star, which is about five times the mass of our sun.
It's the first time this way of detecting a black hole has been used, and it could help researchers uncover other hidden black holes in our Milky Way galaxy and other galaxies.
The more astronomers learn about black holes, the better they can understand how these cosmic objects form and change over time. A paper describing this discovery has been accepted for publication in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
"Similar to Sherlock Holmes tracking down a criminal gang from their missteps, we are looking at every single star in this cluster with a magnifying glass in one hand trying to find some evidence for the presence of black holes but without seeing them directly," said Sara Saracino, research lead and a member of the faculty of engineering and technology from the Astrophysics Research Institute of Liverpool John Moores University, in a statement.