Scientists Spot First Sleeping Black Hole In Our Galactic Backyard

But there is something even more mind-bending going on here. A black hole is scientifically known to be the remnant of a massive star that collapses upon itself due to strong gravitational pull, a process that involves a huge explosion we know as a supernova. However, the VFTS 243 black hole’s origin star appears to have collapsed without any trace of an explosion.

The team behind the discovery hasn’t found any evidence of ejected material or black-hole kick that could establish an explosion scenario. It’s a fascinating finding because VFTS 243 challenges the theory of supermassive black hole formation following a stellar explosion. “Evidence for this ‘direct-collapse’ scenario has been emerging recently, but our study arguably provides one of the most direct indications,” said study leader Tomer Shenar.

The research paper (PDF), which has been published in Nature Astronomy, suggests that this is “the first X-ray quiescent O+BH binary reported outside the Milky Way, and, considering uncertainties regarding Galactic candidates, potentially the first X-ray quiescent O+BH binary ever found.” Here, O refers to the O-type star while BH refers to its black hole companion.