Hidden Stellar-Math Black Hole Found in Dense Star Cluster, Hinting at Thousands More
TL;DR Summary
Astronomers using Hubble archival data and Webb infrared observations discovered the first stellar-mass black hole (about 4.5 solar masses) orbiting a star in the Omega Centauri globular cluster, a system named oMEGACat BH-2 with a 94-year orbital period—the longest known for a black hole binary. The find suggests Omega Centauri may harbor up to ~10,000 such black holes, helping explain black hole populations in dense clusters and their relevance to gravitational-wave sources. The team plans to continue hunting for more BHs in this cluster and others over the coming years.
Topics:science#astronomy#black-holes#globular-cluster#gravitational-waves#omega-centauri#space-and-spaceflight
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