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The Closest Black Holes to Earth are Probably Hidden in This Nearby Star Cluster

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The Hyades cluster is the closest open star cluster to Earth, located at a distance of about 150 light-years. Although black holes haven't been directly seen in the cluster, it's an excellent place to search for them because the largest stars would have detonated as supernovae and collapsed in neutron stars and black holes. Astronomers have simulated the motions of stars in the cluster with black holes lurking around and then compared them to the motions of the actual stars. They only matched with the presence of black holes near the center of the cluster.

The observed profile best fits models with 2-3 black holes. Credit: Torniamenti, et al

One of the things the team compared is what is known as a half-mass radius. That is the radius within which half the cluster’s mass is contained. With the presence of some black holes, the cluster should be slightly more dense, and thus the half-mass radius should be smaller. Another aspect is the central density, which should spike a bit if black holes are present.

So while it’s quite possible that the Hyades contains a stellar mass black hole, it will take more observations to be sure. Only then will we truly know whether there is a monster lurking in our midst.

 

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