It was a missing link in the fabric of the universe. Discovery of a medium-sized black hole with a nearby star cluster

In a stunning evolution of our understanding of the universe and its astronomical phenomena, astronomers from NASA and the European Space Agency have discovered a once-in-a-rare ring in the universe, specifically a medium-sized black hole located in the heart of a near-Earth constellation 6,<> light-years away.

The study was published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on May 23.

Enormous scarcity

Black holes are one of the most mysterious and complex astronomical phenomena, they form after the collapse of huge stars and have such a huge gravity that they attract anything that comes close to them, even light. All the observed black holes appear to be of two sizes, either small or enormous.

It is estimated that our galaxy alone is filled with 100 million small black holes, with masses several times the mass of our sun. The universe is generally flooded by supermassive black holes, which weigh millions or billions of times the mass of our Sun, and settle in the centers of galaxies.

But there's a secret that remains mysterious in the deep darkness of space: medium-mass black holes, which weigh 100 to 100,<> times the mass of our sun. Medium-mass holes are a missing link in the fabric of the universe and scientists have been looking for them for a long time. So how is it formed, where is it located, and why is it so rare?

Medium-sized potential holes

Using a variety of observational techniques, astronomers were able to identify a number of potentially medium-mass black holes. The 3XMM J215022.4-055108 and HLX-1 were among the most expected to be of medium mass.

Using the Hubble telescope in 2020, scientists were able to identify the black hole (3XMM J215022.4-055108). The black hole (HLX-1) was also discovered in 2009. These black holes are located in other galaxies and have masses equivalent to tens of thousands of the Sun. These holes are thought to have once been the epicenter of a galaxy of dwarf galaxies.

Compared to the Milky Way with 200 to 400 billion stars, the dwarf galaxy is a small galaxy made up of about a thousand to a few billion stars.

Looking at the galaxies closest to us, scientists have discovered a number of potentially medium-mass black holes found in the spherical star clusters (spherical clusters) orbiting our Milky Way galaxy.

In 2008, astronomers announced a possible medium-mass black hole in the Omega Centauri globular cluster. However, these discoveries and other medium-mass black holes remain inconclusive.

Discovery of a nearby medium-sized black hole

Scientists have recently used the unique capabilities of the Hubble Observatory to explore the nucleus of the spherical star cluster Messier 4 (Messier 4; M4) to hunt black holes more accurately than in previous research.

Eduardo Vettral, an astrophysicist at the Institute of Space Observatories in Maryland, USA, and lead author of the study, says that "this kind of discovery cannot be made without the use of the Hubble Observatory."

Vitral and his team were able to detect a potentially medium-mass black hole, estimated at about 800 solar masses. The team couldn't see the potential black hole, but its mass was estimated based on studying the motion of stars in its gravitational field.

Such calculations take a long time and require high observation accuracy, which is what the Hubble telescope can accomplish. The team monitored the movement of stars around the black hole, which the Hubble telescope had observed for 12 years, and pinpointed the positions of these stars with high accuracy.

Researchers were interested in studying this black hole specifically after observing unusual effects on the stars and surrounding gases. A group of advanced astronomical observatories were used to analyze these phenomena and collect accurate data indicating the presence of something strange in the surrounding area.

Although scientists have discovered many black holes in the universe, this new discovery is exceptional given its close proximity to Earth.

The team suggests that this black hole could be the "missing link" connecting small and large black holes. Scientists believe the discovery will help expand our knowledge about the origins of black holes. It will also help scientists understand the relationship between black holes and the formation and evolution of galaxies.