Found one of the smallest black holes: it was near the Earth

Scientists from Ohio University have discovered one of the smallest black holes in the history of observation.

says the press service of the educationalestablishments. Researchers found their object in the constellation Monoceros. The black hole was part of a binary star system: its “companion” was another star, a red giant.

The results of the study are published by the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

Credit: Lauren Fanfer.

The black hole is about three times largerOur Sun is tiny for a black hole. So far, scientists have found very few black holes of this mass in the Universe. Evidence of their existence was obtained only 1.5 years ago. The object, which scientists have named “The Unicorn,” is located 1,500 light-years from Earth, inside the Milky Way galaxy. Other black holes are much further away. For example, the object at the center of the Milky Way, Sagittarius A*, is 26,000 light years away from Earth. As the authors of the new work note, the tiny black hole was “hiding in plain sight.”

The fact is that the black hole's companion starwell documented using telescopes. However, no one has carried out a corresponding analysis. After taking measurements, scientists noticed that something they couldn't see seemed to be orbiting the red giant. As a result, the light from this star changed in intensity and appearance at various points around its orbit. 

In other words, something is “pulling” the red giantand changes its shape. The red giant's speed, orbital period, and the way tidal forces distorted the star clued scientists into the black hole's mass. 

Finding and studying black holes and neutron stars in our galaxy is critical to space scientists because it tells them how stars form and die.

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