Astronomers unearth the largest stellar black hole in the Milky Way, weighing 33 times the mass of the sun.

Astronomers have found a massive black hole, BH3, just 2,000 light years away in the Milky Way. BH3, the most massive stellar black hole yet discovered in our galaxy, was detected through its gravitational influence on a nearby star in the constellation of Aquila. This unexpected find was unveiled early to allow for further observations. BH3's mass is 33 times that of the sun, and its companion star orbits it every 11.6 years. This discovery bridges the gap between stellar black holes observed locally and those detected through gravitational waves in distant galaxies. The findings were published in Astronomy and Astrophysics, prompting immediate interest for further study.