Loading...
Market
Will the black hole in Omega Centauri be confirmed as an intermediate-mass black hole by end of 2024?
3
Resolution / Starting Odds
Yes • 50%
No • 50%
Publication of a peer-reviewed study or confirmation by a credible astronomical organization
Story
Astronomers Discover Closest Massive Black Hole, 8,200 Times Sun's Mass, in Omega Centauri
Jul 10, 2024, 03:43 PM
Astronomers have discovered the closest massive black hole to Earth, located in the star cluster Omega Centauri within the Milky Way. This black hole, identified using over 500 Hubble Space Telescope images, is at least 8,200 times the mass of the Sun. The discovery, described as a 'cosmic clue frozen in time,' was made by observing seven fast-moving stars in the cluster's core, which are likely influenced by the black hole. This finding provides strong evidence for the existence of an intermediate-mass black hole, a 'missing link' in the formation of massive black holes. The research has been published in the journal Nature.
View original story
Similar markets
Mass revision • 25%
New companion objects • 25%
New physical properties • 25%
Other • 25%
Yes • 50%
No • 50%
New intermediate-mass black hole • 25%
New supermassive black hole • 25%
New stellar-mass black hole • 25%
Other • 25%
Another black hole triple system • 25%
A new type of black hole • 25%
Black hole merger event • 25%
Other • 25%
New type of black hole • 25%
Black hole merger event • 25%
Black hole and star interaction • 25%
Other • 25%
Yes • 50%
No • 50%
Another star is destroyed • 25%
Black hole increases in mass significantly • 25%
New celestial object discovered in debris • 25%
Other • 25%
