The 365 Days of Astronomy Guide to Space - An Intermediate Mass Black Hole Found in the Milky Way. 100,000 Times the Mass of the Sun
Aug 27, 2025
Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery of a massive black hole in the Milky Way, weighing 100,000 times the mass of the Sun. This revelation sheds light on intermediate mass black holes, bridging the gap between stellar and supermassive variants. Evidence from gravitational waves enhances our understanding of how these colossal entities form, particularly in relation to supermassive black holes. Listeners are actively encouraged to engage in naming this newfound black hole, setting the stage for fun and educational future discussions.
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Massive Gas Motions Reveal Hidden Object
- Astronomers found a gas cloud whose internal velocities require a 100,000-solar-mass object nearby.
- The team concluded only a massive black hole can explain the gas motions in that 15-light-year cloud.
IMBHs Are The Missing Growth Link
- Intermediate-mass black holes (IMBHs) bridge stellar and supermassive black holes and help explain galaxy-center growth.
- Finding one near Sagittarius A* suggests IMBHs can merge into supermassive black holes over time.
47 Tucanae Case Study
- Astronomers searched globular clusters like 47 Tucanae for IMBH signs using stellar motions and pulsar locations.
- They inferred a possible ~2,200-solar-mass black hole from stirred-up heavy stars and displaced pulsars.