Newswise — The discovery of the most massive stellar black hole yet in the Milky Way galaxy has captured the attention of astronomers worldwide. This extraordinary find, identified through data from the European Space Agency's Gaia mission, showcases the remarkable capabilities of modern astronomical technology. The black hole's presence was inferred from the peculiar motion of its companion star, which exhibits an unusual 'wobbling' pattern due to the black hole's gravitational influence.
Astronomers have estimated the mass of this stellar black hole to be 33 times that of the Sun, making it a significant addition to the growing catalog of black holes in our galaxy. This mass was verified through observations from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) and other ground-based observatories, highlighting the collaborative nature of modern astronomical research.
This discovery opens up new avenues for further study, allowing astronomers to delve deeper into the mysteries of black hole formation and evolution. Continued observations of this system, particularly with instruments like the GRhistory and its impact on the galaxy.
Sharing these discoveries and insights is crucial for advancing our understanding of the universe. Platforms like Newswise play a vital role in disseminating this information to the public and the scientific community, fostering a greater appreciation for the wonders of the cosmos and inspiring future generations of astronomers.
Newswise Experts
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Head, Webb Mission Office
Expertise: Leadership - Webb Space Telescope - Supermassive Black Hole - Cosmology - Galaxy Formation
Dr. Massimo Stiavelli has led the James Webb Space Telescope mission office at STScI since 2012. He is an Interdisciplinary Scientist in the JWST Science Working Group. He joined the Institute in 1995 and served as a European Space Agency astronomer for the first five years. He was an instrument scientist for the Hubble Space Telescope’s Wide Field and Planetary Camera 2 (WFPC2), going on to work on the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) during its development. He was part of the team that developed the Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3). His research interests include cosmology, formation and evolution of galaxies and central black holes. Dr. Stiavelli has extensive experience in all aspects of modern astronomical research, from theory and observations to instrument development.
Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI)
Head, Roman Mission Office
Expertise: Roman Space Telescope - Galaxies - Black Holes
As the head of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope mission office, Dr. Roeland P. van der Marel leads the institute’s Roman Space Telescope science operations, which include the mission’s planning and scheduling system, the data processing system for the Wide Field Instrument, and the data archive. He joined the institute in 1997 as a Giacconi Fellow, and has been an astronomer with tenure since 2008. He also holds a position as an adjunct professor at Johns Hopkins University’s Department of Physics and Astronomy. He has extensive astronomical observing experience on space- and ground-based telescopes, with a focus on using Hubble for studies of the dynamics of galaxies and the presence of black holes at their centers. He leads the Hubble Space Telescope Proper Motion (HSTPROMO) collaboration, which aims to improve understanding of stars, clusters, and galaxies in the nearby universe through measurement of their proper motions.
University of Alberta - University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
UWM Distinguished Professor of Physics
Expertise: Astrophysics - LIGOLS - CLIGO Scientific Collaboration - Gravitational Waves - Patrick Brady - UW-Milwaukee Cosmology - Black Holes - Universe
Astrophysicist Patrick Brady at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee yesterday began his duties as spokesperson for the international scientific collaboration that studies gravitational waves using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO). The spokesperson of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC) speaks on behalf of the 1,300 scientists in 20 countries who are engaged in gravitational wave research with data from observatories located in Hanford, Washington, and Livingston, Louisiana. Brady, a UWM professor of physics and director of the Leonard E. Parker Center for Gravitation, Cosmology and Astrophysics, is sixth in an elite group of scientists who have served as LSC spokespersons since the LSC formed in the late 1990s. Former spokespersons were Nobel Prize winner Rainer Weiss (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Peter Saulson (Syracuse University), Dave Reitze (Caltech), Gabriela Gonzalez (Louisiana State University) and David Shoemaker (MIT). Brady’s research focuses on the analysis and interpretation of data from the network of gravitational-wave detectors. He served on the executive committee of the LSC from 2004-2006, and has co-chaired the LSC Inspiral Analysis Group and chaired the LSC Data Analysis Software Working Group. He joined the UW-Milwaukee faculty in 1999, after a fellowship at Caltech. In 2010 he was elected a Fellow of the American Physical Society, and he shared in the 2016 Special Breakthrough Prize.
RSS