A “needle in the haystack” the new black hole that scientists have found

Scientists have been able to detect a black hole that has been invisible through the hitherto unidentified methods. Black holes “swallow” light, and the easiest way to detect them is in binary systems, where the black hole is next to a star and absorbs its material, emitting X-rays that we detect. However, this method only detects black holes that are close enough to the stars to absorb material. However, there are still many that are distant, do not emit X-rays and are difficult to find.

To identify these hidden black holes, scientists have developed a new search method that has been described as a ” needle in the haystack ” according to Todd Thompson of the University of Ohio. So the Doppler effect was used to compare the brightness of the stars over time. An intense change is an indication of a strong source of gravity, and when the brightness of the star increases and decreases steadily, it indicates that there is a large object in an orbit that sometimes blocks light. Taken together, these two markers can reveal the existence of a black hole.

This is how the black hole near the giant star 2MASS J05215658 + 4359220 was discovered, which was calculated to be small, having only three times the mass of our Sun. The method can be used to uncover many more black holes and is recorded in detail in Science .