Italian astrophysicists at the University of Padua believe that the Hyades star cluster contains numerous black holes, and they are the closest black holes to Earth ever discovered. To work published In the scientific journal Monthly Proceedings of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The Hyades star cluster is located in the constellation Taurus, about 150 light-years from our planet.
Astrophysicists have used simulations to predict the evolution of the celestial bodies of the Hyades. The analysis results were compared with the actual positions and velocities of the stars in the cluster.
According to scientists, the observed dynamics can only correspond to the mass and size of Hyades if there are two or three black holes at the center of a star group. Until recently, Gaia BH1, located 1.4 thousand light-years from Earth, was considered the closest black hole to the solar system.
The researchers noted that the study helps to understand how the presence of black holes affects the evolution of star clusters, and also provides new data on the distribution of black holes in the galaxy.
Earlier astronomers calculated speed of two colliding black holes.