Astronomers Discover Closest Intermediate-Mass Black Hole in Omega Centauri

New findings reveal a black hole with at least 8,200 solar masses, bridging the gap between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes.

Located 18,000 light-years from Earth, Omega Centauri's black hole is the nearest known intermediate-mass black hole.
The discovery was made using over 20 years of Hubble Space Telescope data, tracking the motion of 1.4 million stars.
Seven high-speed stars near the cluster's core provided key evidence for the black hole's presence.
Omega Centauri is believed to be the remnant core of a dwarf galaxy consumed by the Milky Way.
Future observations with advanced telescopes aim to further explore the black hole's properties.