Scientists find a hidden black hole using new detection method

Researchers have discovered a strange black hole-star pair, a finding that could open our eyes to millions of new black holes that, until now, have been hidden in the cosmos.

For years, scientists have assumed that there are millions of black holes in our galaxy. However, researchers can often only spot black holes that are in binary pairs with stars in which the black hole orbits and siphons matter from the star. This is because, when black holes accrete matter from their partner star, they emit bright, easy-to-spot X-rays.

But many black holes in these pairings don’t orbit their star close enough to accrete mass and emit this bright signal, so they go undetected.

However, in a new study, scientists demonstrated how dimmer black holes can be spotted in the night sky.

Read more at Space.com