Black holes · Dormant black hole
Gaia BH3
1,926 light-years · Light crosses it in 650 millionths of a second
- Across
- 195 km
- Vs Earth
- 1.53% of Earth
- Mass
- 33 Suns
In the app, Gaia BH3 is part of the Beyond pack.
About
Gaia BH3 is a black hole of 33 Suns found in 2024 from the wobble of a star orbiting it every 11.6 years. It is the most massive stellar black hole known in our galaxy, and one of the nearest.
The most massive stellar black hole known in the Milky Way, found in 2024.
At a glance
| Mass | 33 Suns |
|---|---|
| Distance | 1,926 light-years |
| Found | 2024, from Gaia data |
| Companion | An old, metal-poor giant star |
Did you know
- Its mass is like the black holes whose collisions are picked up as gravitational waves.
- Its companion is almost pure hydrogen and helium, a sign it came from an early generation of stars.
- It gives off no light; it was found only by its pull on the other star.
Simulations
- How black holes are made — How the core of a giant star falls in on itself and closes off from the universe
- Two black holes merge — How two black holes spiral together, shake space itself and were heard on Earth 1.3 billion years later