“There are hundreds”: NASA has just made a discovery worthy of a science fiction film by finding huge black holes in space

“There are hundreds”: NASA has just made a discovery worthy of a science fiction film by finding huge black holes in space


News JVTech “There are hundreds”: NASA has just made a discovery worthy of a science fiction film by finding huge black holes in space

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Astrophysicists have discovered more than 100 stellar black holes in the Palomar 5 globular cluster, located 80,000 light years from Earth. This observation, made thanks to the Gaia telescope, upsets our understanding of stellar clusters and the evolution of galaxies. These “vagrants” black holes could shed light on the formation of gravitational waves.

Palomar 5, a cluster like no other

An international team of astrophysicists, thanks to the data from the Gaia space telescope of the European Space Agency (ESA), revealed the existence of an unsuspected population of stellar black holes within the Palomar 5 globular cluster, located in About 80,000 light years from the earth. This discovery, published
In the journal Nature Astronomy

upset our understanding of the dynamics of stellar clusters and raises new questions about the evolution of galaxies.

Located at around 80,000 light years from the earth, Palomar 5 is distinguished from other globular clusters, these spherical and compact groupings of hundreds of thousands, even millions of stars, which orbit around the Galactic Center as so many satellites. Indeed, Palomar 5, extending over 30,000 light years, presents itself rather as a loose and dispersed structure, followed by a long ribbon of stars, a sort of “stellar river” which stretches on dozens thousands of light years. This particular structure, called tide current, results from the gravitational interaction of the cluster with the Milky Way. Over time, the cluster loses stars that disperse along its orbit, forming this spectacular trail.

Hidden giants revealed by Gaia

It is by scrutinizing the data of the Gaia space telescope, designed to map the Milky Way with unrivaled precision, that the researchers made an amazing discovery: Palomar 5 houses a population of more than 100 stellar black holes. These enigmatic objects, vestiges of massive stars collapsed on themselves, are usually invisible to traditional observation techniques. Their presence within Palomar 5 was until then unsuspected, especially since this cluster was considered as an area without significant activity.

As a reminder, the stellar black holes are formed when a massive star, at least 20 times more massive than the sun, exhausts its nuclear fuel and collapses under the effect of its own gravity. This collapse gives birth to an object of extreme density, the gravitational field of which is so intense that even light cannot escape.

What makes this discovery particularly intriguing is the high number of black holes detected. According to digital simulations, researchers estimate that around 20% of the total mass of Palomar 5 is made up of black holes, a proportion much higher than expected.

Unlike supermassive black holes, these cosmic monsters that sit in the heart of galaxies and whose mass can reach millions, even billions of times that of the sun, the stellar black holes of Palomar 5 are more modest objects, with a mass of a few tens of times that of the sun. But what makes them unique is their behavior. While supermassive black holes act as gravitational anchors, now the cohesion of galaxies, the black holes of Palomar 5 seem to wander freely in space, without fixed gravitational attachment.

According to scientists, this nomadic behavior is explained by the intense gravitational interactions which take place within the cluster. When the black holes are formed, they can, during close encounters, eject each other in the intergalactic space, condemning them to a lonely existence. Digital simulations carried out by the research team suggest that this ejection process is particularly effective in little dense clusters like Palomar 5.

A discovery with multiple implications

This major discovery questions our knowledge about the composition and behavior of the Milky Way. It highlights the complexity of our galaxy, revealing that many activities take place away from the eyes of traditional observers. It also raises crucial questions about the total number of black holes in the universe and their influence on cosmic evolution.

In addition, the presence of these wandering black holes has important implications for our understanding of gravitational waves. These waves of space-time, predicted by the theory of general relativity of Einstein and detected for the first time in 2015, are produced by violent cosmic events, such as the merger of black holes. Indeed, the interactions between black holes, in particular collisions and mergers, generate undulations in the fabric of space-time. The detection of these waves has opened a new window on the universe, allowing us to study hitherto invisible phenomena. By studying these black holes, the researchers hope to refine the models of predicting these events, thus deepening our understanding of the most enigmatic phenomena of the cosmos.

According to team simulations, Palomar 5’s fate is sealed. In about a billion years, the heap will have completely dissolved, leaving behind a swarm of black holes orbiting around the galactic center. Palomar 5 is not a unique case and other globular clusters may experience a similar spell.

This discovery opens up new exciting perspectives for astrophysics. It reminds us that the universe is still full of mysteries and that each observation brings us closer to the understanding of its deepest secrets. The black holes of Palomar 5, true interstellar vagabonds, are all silent witnesses of the tumultuous history of our galaxy and the evolution of the universe as a whole. They are a challenge launched to astronomers, an invitation to explore the borders of space and time to unravel the mysteries of these fascinating objects.

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