A new discovery of a medium-sized black hole has raised hopes among scientists to understand the theory behind the evolution of black holes. Recently, astronomers said they have found the strongest evidence of a medium-sized black hole, AFP reported.
The presence of medium-sized black holes provides an opportunity to connect the “missing link” in understanding the evolution of black holes. So far, astronomers have been able to find supermassive black holes, which usually lie at the center of galaxies, and smaller black holes, which are about 100 times the mass of the Sun.
Medium-sized black hole at the center of Omega Centauri
The recent discovery was made at the centre of Omega Centauri, the largest cluster of stars in the galaxy, which is about 18,000 light-years from Earth. Maximilian Heberle, a PhD student at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, told AFP that after a closer inspection of Omega Centauri, astronomers and researchers noticed “something peculiar”.
How were medium-sized black holes discovered?
A medium-sized black hole was discovered in a dense cluster of stars. The unusual motion of seven stars at the centre helped astronomers identify the presence of the black hole.
The seven stars at the center were spinning at very high speeds. According to AFP, at such a speed, all seven stars should have flown straight out of the cluster – but the gravitational force of some invisible hidden monster was pulling them in.
The discovery of black holes is like the discovery of ‘Bigfoot’
The recent discovery has created a wave of joy and wonder among scientists, researchers and astronomers who were eagerly waiting to find that ‘missing link’ in the theory of black hole evolution. AFP quoted study co-author Matthew Whittaker of the University of Utah as saying that identifying a medium-sized black hole is “like finding the first evidence for Bigfoot – people will panic.”
The black hole discovered at the center of Omega Centauri has a mass equivalent to about 8,200 Suns. This puts it in the middle category of black holes that have so far proven very elusive. Supermassive black holes, which sit at the center of galaxies like spiders in a web, are classified as having more than 100,000 solar masses.
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Published: July 11, 2024, 07:45 AM IST
