The secrets and mysteries of black holes
Astronomers have made the incredible and unexpected discovery of a massive black hole located in our very own galaxy. Named BH3, the stellar black hole is around three times the size of the average black hole found in the Milky Way. A stellar black hole is formed when an enormous star collapses in on itself at the end of its life. It was discovered by chance due to its incredibly powerful pull on a nearby star in the constellation of Aquila. While the average black hole is around ten times the mass of the sun, BH3 has a mass 33 times greater than the sun.
“It’s a complete surprise,” said astronomer Dr Pasquale Panuzzo, “It is the most massive stellar origin black hole in our galaxy and the second nearest discovered so far.” BH3 is located just 2,000 lightyears from Earth. The only black hole in the Milky Way that beats BH3 in terms of size is the supermassive black hole Sagittarius A* at the center of the galaxy. It was formed through the collapse of vast clouds of dust and gas.
Our universe is immense and there are sure to be numerous things out there that have yet to be explained. However, one of its most mysterious phenomena is the black hole.
It seems that every month there are exciting new developments in astronomy, but how much do we really know about black holes? We answer this question and more in this gallery. Check it out!
What are they?
Black holes have a huge mass. Some of them may have 100 times more mass than the Sun. The gravitational force is so intense that even light cannot escape it.
Physics laws
American physicist Kip Thorne has been quoted as saying that the singularity at the center of the black hole is "the point where all laws of physics break down."
Spaghettification
This is the name given to an object stretched and destroyed by a black hole.
Beginning
Theories about the existence of black holes began in the 18th century.
Is Earth in danger?
Although it's known that the Milky Way contains several black holes, the Earth is not very close to any of them.
The sound
According to scientists, black holes emit a constant B flat note.
Size
According to NASA there are at least three black hole sizes: stellar, supermassive, and miniature.
Worm holes
Several theories point to the fact that if someone or something is swallowed up by a black hole, it can be "thrown" into other parts of the universe. Many sci-fi movies use this idea.
Evaporation
There is only one thing that can escape a black hole: radiation. When a black hole is emitting radiation, scientists know that it is losing mass, and that this is probably the process that leads to its extinction.
Einstein did not discover black holes
Einstein only revived the theory of a gravitational force so strong that even light could not escape it, which was proposed by a geologist named John Michell in 1783.
Theories
Some theories argue that not all the power of a black hole is totally destructive and that this same power can be used for various other things, including time travel.
The 2024 image
In March 2024, the EHT released this image of Sagittarius A*. The photo shows much greater detail, capturing distinct spirals. "What we're seeing now is that there are strong, twisted, and organized magnetic fields near the black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy," said Sara Issaoun, an astrophysicist at the Harvard and Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and co-lead of the project. As techniques and technology develop, the EHT expects to make even greater advances in the coming years, capturing the black hole in video form by the end of the decade.
Sources: (NASA) (Independant)
