New Look at First Black Hole Detected Shows It Is 50 Percent Bigger Than Expected

Researchers said that new observations of the Cygnus X-1 black hole showed it is 21 times the mass of the Sun.

Advertisement
By Reuters | Updated: 19 February 2021 12:14 IST
Highlights
  • Cygnus X-1 is the Milky Way's largest-known stellar-mass black hole
  • This black hole spins so rapidly, nearly light speed
  • It devours material blowing from surface of companion star it orbits

An artist's impression of the Cygnus X-1 system, with a so-called stellar-mass black hole orbiting a star

A fresh examination has revealed new details about the first black hole ever detected - which was spotted in 1964 and became the subject of a friendly wager between renowned scientists - including that it is bigger than previously known.

Researchers said on Thursday that new observations of the Cygnus X-1 black hole, orbiting in a stellar marriage with a large and luminous star, showed it is 21 times our sun's mass, about 50 percent more massive than previously believed.

While it is still one of the closest-known black holes, they found it is somewhat farther away than previously calculated, at 7,200 light years - the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km) - from Earth.

Advertisement

Black holes are extremely dense, with gravitational pulls so ferocious not even light escapes. Some - the "supermassive" black holes - are immense, like the one at our Milky Way galaxy's centre 4 million times the sun's mass. Smaller "stellar-mass" black holes possess the mass of a single star.

Advertisement

Cygnus X-1 is the Milky Way's largest-known stellar-mass black hole and among the strongest X-ray sources seen from Earth, said astronomer James Miller-Jones of Curtin University and the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research in Australia, who led the study published in the journal Science.

This black hole spins so rapidly, nearly light speed, that it approaches the maximum rate envisioned under physicist Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity, Miller-Jones added.

Advertisement

It devours material blowing from the surface of the companion star it tightly orbits, a "blue supergiant" about 40 times our sun's mass. It started its existence 4 million to 5 million years ago as a star up to 75 times the sun's mass and collapsed into a black hole a few tens of thousands of years ago.

The research included data from the Very Long Baseline Array radio telescope comprising 10 US observation stations.

Advertisement

After Cygnus X-1 was first tabbed as a black hole, a wager was made between physicists Stephen Hawking, who bet against it being one, and Kip Thorne, who bet it was. Hawking eventually conceded, owing Thorne a Penthouse magazine subscription.

"Indeed, I did not have any wagers riding on these findings," Miller-Jones said.

© Thomson Reuters 2021


Is Samsung Galaxy S21+ the perfect flagship for most Indians? We discussed this on Orbital, our weekly technology podcast, which you can subscribe to via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or RSS, download the episode, or just hit the play button below.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.
 

Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.

Further reading: Cygnus X 1, Milky Way
Advertisement
Popular Mobile Brands
  1. Here's How Much the Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Might Cost in South Korea
  2. Apple Borivali to Open on This Date as Sixth Apple Store in India
  3. BenQ GW90TC Series Monitors With USB Type-C Connectivity Launched in India
  4. iPhone 17e Design, Colourways Seen in Concept Video With These Features
  5. Tecno Pova Curve 2 5G Launches in India With Massive 8,000mAh Battery
  6. Panasonic Refreshes Residential AC Lineup With Nanoe Technology, IoT Features
  7. Nvidia's GeForce Now App Brings Cloud Gaming to Your Amazon Fire TV Stick
  8. Xiaomi Watch 5 Could Arrive in Europe Soon at This Price
  1. Astronomers Witness Rare Failed Supernova in Andromeda Galaxy
  2. Unique Inside-Out Planetary System Reveals Unexpected Rocky World on the Outer Edge
  3. Google Chrome Brings Convenient Pinned Tabs Feature to Android Smartphone Owners
  4. Poco C81 Pro Appears on Thailand's NBTC Certification Database, Might Launch Soon
  5. Google Adds Gemini-Powered Audio Summaries to Google Docs
  6. BenQ GW90TC Series Monitors Launched in India With Up to 27-Inch Displays, USB Type-C Connectivity
  7. Nvidia Launches GeForce Now App for Select Amazon Fire TV Stick Models
  8. John Wick, God of War, Ghost of Yotei Legends: Everything Announced at State of Play
  9. Sony WH-1000XM6 Now Available in Sand Pink Colour Variant in India: Price, Availability, Features
  10. GST (Ghosts in Trouble) Out on Prime Video: Know Everything About This Kannada Comedy Drama Film
Gadgets 360 is available in
Download Our Apps
Available in Hindi
© Copyright Red Pixels Ventures Limited 2026. All rights reserved.