Scientists have discovered the closest black hole to Earth so far

This black hole is ten times larger than the Sun, and is about 1,600 light-years away.

Astronomers have discovered a new black hole described as closest to Earth, “only” 1,600 light-years from the blue planet, can we read in a study sent to Earth Royal Astronomical Society reported by Associated Press.

Research indicates the existence of a black hole ten times the mass of the Sun. It can be spotted by observing the motion of its “companion star”, that star that orbits the black hole at a close distance from the Earth from the Sun.

Gaia BH1

Karim El-Badri of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said the black hole was initially identified using the European Space Agency’s Gaia satellite. Karim El-Badri and his team also confirmed their discovery with the Geminy Observatory in Hawaii.

Researchers don’t know at this point how the binary star system – made up of the black hole and its “companion star” – formed in the Milky Way. Baptized Gaia BH1, it is located in the constellation Ophiuchus and is also called Serpentarius.