Astronomers find massive black hole closest to Earth that is 8,200 times the size of the Sun. Watch Nasa video here

Astrophysicists analyzing the Hubble Space Telescope images have identified a possible intermediate-mass black hole within the Centauri star cluster. This black hole could be at least 8,200 times the mass of the Sun, making it the second-largest black hole discovered in our Galaxy if further studies confirm the findings.

Fast-Moving Stars Indicate a Massive Object

Maximilian Häberle, an astrophysicist at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany, along with his team, examined over 500 images of Centauri. This cluster contains about 10 million stars and is located roughly 18,000 light years from our Solar System. The team analyzed the movement of over 150,000 stars, noting that most followed predicted patterns. However, seven stars near the cluster's center were moving too fast, suggesting they were influenced by a massive object's gravitational pull, possibly a black hole.

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Evidence and Skepticism

The team estimated that the potential black hole would need to be at least 8,200 solar masses but could be as massive as 50,000 Suns. However, not all experts are convinced. Some cautioned that the evidence is “very far from conclusive.” Experts noted that the data did not yet show the curved trajectories expected from stars orbiting a massive object, a key indicator seen in other black holes like Sagittarius A* at the Milky Way's center.

The Elusive Nature of Intermediate-Mass Black Holes

Intermediate-mass black holes, ranging from about 100 to 100,000 solar masses, remain elusive. Most known black holes have been detected by the radiation they emit, but no such emissions have been observed from Centauri. The strongest evidence for intermediate-mass black holes so far comes from detecting gravitational waves from merging black holes, such as an event in 2019 that produced a black hole around 150 solar masses.

Astrophysicists have faced many challenges in identifying these black holes. Some sources of 'ultraluminous' X-rays, initially thought to be intermediate-mass black holes, were later identified as neutron stars.

Future Research

The research team plans to conduct follow-up spectroscopic observations with the James Webb Space Telescope. While Hubble's data shows star movement across the field of view, spectroscopic data will reveal their movement along the line of sight, allowing for a complete 3D reconstruction of their velocities.

This ongoing research aims to provide clearer insights into the existence of intermediate-mass black holes and their role in the cosmos.