According to a new study observed by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope, an elusive type of Black hole It was discovered in a nearby galaxy for the first time. Thus, something has been predicted only theoretically, and it is difficult to detect this phenomenon. So, check out more information about sleeping black hole outside the Milky Way.
Read more: Black hole – what it is, appearance, composition and curiosity
What is a black hole?
A black hole is a region of space whose gravitational field is so strong that not even light can escape. Once formed, the gravitational force in the region of the black hole is so strong that all the material it is attracted to is compressed until it ruptures.
However, dormant black holes, which form towards the end of a massive star’s life, are difficult to detect, because they do not interact much with their environment. This is because, unlike most black holes, inert holes do not emit high levels of X-rays.
VFTS 243: The first sleeping black hole
It took six years of observations by the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile to discover this unprecedented phenomenon. The black hole, known as VFTS 243, is at least 9 times the mass of the Sun, and orbits a hot blue star 25 times the mass of the Sun, making it part of a binary star system.
“Given how commonly astronomers believe about their existence, it is surprising how little we know about dormant black holes,” study co-author Pablo Marchant, an astronomer at the University of Leuven in Belgium, said in a press release.
The hole is far away, but it keeps growing
According to Hughes Sana, also an author of the study, the orbit, which lasts for 14 days, is still in equilibrium for now. This way, the living star is far enough away that it doesn’t get swallowed up.
According to the researchers, this balance should not last long. This is because when a living star grows, the black hole swallows a portion of its surface, which emits x-rays out of dormancy, so it will leave its rest state at some point.
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