A new study based on observations from the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope has uncovered an elusive type of black hole. These black holes barely interact with their surroundings.
Massive stars that die and produce black holes with the mass of dormant stars. Unlike most other black holes, a dormant black hole. This type does not emit much X-ray radiation.
Such black holes have apparently not been found outside our galaxy, although they are considered a fairly common cosmic phenomenon, according to the team of US and European experts working on the research. The newly discovered black hole, known as VFTS 243, is at least nine times larger than our Sun.
This black hole is one of two black holes that make up a binary system. It surrounds a bright blue star that is 25 times larger than our Sun.
elimination process
Astronomers examined 1,000 massive stars in the Tarantula Nebula region of the Large Magellanic Cloud, each weighing at least eight times the mass of the Sun. According to co-author Tomar Shener, the discovery was made through a process of elimination.
Stars that are part of binary systems, or stars orbiting cosmic companions, were first identified by astronomers. Companions are not observable in binary systems, so they turn their attention to it. A careful examination eventually revealed that VFTS 243 was a dormant black hole.
The Fiber Large Array Multi Element Spectrograph (FLAMS) instrument on the ESO Very Large Telescope used six years of observations to find the black hole. With flames, astronomers can see more than a hundred objects at once.
black hole police
Some of the study’s 40 authors are called “black hole police” in astronomical circles. Because, they have contradicted many previous black hole discoveries. More than ten findings of black hole binary systems made in the past two years have been questioned.
However, he is sure that this time his findings are not “false alarms”. The study group claims they accept criticism for their latest findings.
