Marijn
Active member
1000 lightyears that is. The previous closest one was V616 Monocerotis at 2800 lightyears. I assume the radius of the event horizon is the same as other 4 solar mass black holes, which would be almost 12km.
Here's a translation from the local media:
Here's a translation from the local media:
European astronomers have found a black hole near Earth. It is located near two stars that can be seen with the unaided eye from the southern hemisphere.
The European Southern Observatory (ESO) released the discovery on Wednesday. The black hole is only 1,000 light-years away from Earth. Never before had a black hole been found so close in the universe. It is part of HR 6819, a two star system. When the scientists studied those two stars, they discovered that one of the two stars orbited an unknown and invisible object in 40 days. That object is at least four times heavier than our sun. "That can only be a black hole," the researchers said.