CYGNUS X-1: the most massive black hole near to Earth (VIDEO)

International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research

Caption

An animation showing the Cygnus X-1 system, consisting of a black hole in orbit with a giant star. Recent observations by radio telescopes have found the system is 20 per cent further away than previously thought, implying the black hole is 21 times the mass of the Sun, making it the most massive stellar-mass black hole ever detected without the use of gravitational waves.

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Credit: International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research.

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