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Scientists discover closest black hole to Earth just 1,000 light-years away
The closest black hole to Earth has been discovered just 1,000 light years away.
It is so close to us that on a clear night its stars can be seen with the naked eye.
The hole, located in the constellation Telescopium, forms part of a “triple system” with two accompanying stars.
It was discovered by astronomers from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and other institutes and is closer to our solar system than any other recorded to date.
The team found evidence of the invisible object by tracking its two companion stars using a 2.2 metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile.
No telescope or binoculars are needed to see the stars on a dark, clear night from the southern hemisphere.
Research co-author Petr Hadrava, Emeritus Scientist at the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic in Prague, said: “We were totally surprised when we realised that this is the first stellar system with a black hole that can be seen with the unaided eye.”
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