Artist’s impression of the closest black hole to Earth and its Sun-like companion star
Astronomers using the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab, have discovered the closest-known black hole to Earth. This is the first unambiguous detection of a dormant stellar-mass black hole in the Milky Way. Its close proximity to Earth, a mere 1600 light-years away, offers an intriguing target of study to advance our understanding of the evolution of binary systems.
Credit:International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva/Spaceengine/M. Zamani
About the Image
Id: | noirlab2227a |
Type: | Artwork |
Release date: | Nov. 3, 2022, 1:16 p.m. |
Related releases: | noirlab2227 |
Size: | 5120 x 2880 px |
About the Object
Category: | Illustrations Quasars and Black Holes |
Image Formats
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2.2 MB
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