A minuscule black hole that is relatively close to Earth has been found by astronomers.
Its mass is around three times that of the Sun, and it is known as “The Unicorn.” The newly found black hole might belong to a new class as the smallest black holes that have been found so far are at least six times as massive as the Sun.
Don’t let its diminutive size deceive you, though; it still possesses a powerful gravitational force that can engulf anything in its path.
Researchers at Ohio State University stated the black hole was “hiding in plain sight” when they found it.
It is located 1,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Monoceros.
The Unicorn has a companion star which is a red giant, “meaning that the two are connected by gravity.”
Although the black hole cannot be seen, experts were able to identify it by the way the star’s light changes as it passes behind it.
Tidal distortion, as identified by Ohio State University researchers, was pulling on and altering the shape of the red giant.
“Just as the moon’s gravity bends the Earth’s oceans, causing the seas to bulge toward and away from the moon, producing high tides, so does the black hole bend the star into a football-like shape with one axis longer than the other,” said Todd Thompson, co-author of the study, chair of Ohio State’s astronomy department, and university distinguished scholar.
“The simplest explanation is that it’s a black hole – and in this case, the simplest explanation is the most likely one.”
Efforts to find extremely low mass black holes have increased in recent years as astronomers hope to unravel the mysteries of the strange entities.
Soucre: news.sci-nature.com
