The Astronomers have discovered the smallest black holes. It has been named as Unicorn. It is 1,500 light years away from the earth. It is the closest of all the black holes found so far.
About Unicorn
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The Unicorn is three times the mass of the sun. Its size is tiny for a black hole.
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It appears that the Unicorn accompanies a red giant star. The scientists were able to locate the Unicorn by documenting the changes in the red giant star. This is because, the black holes are generally not visible.
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The black hole was discovered through an effect called Tidal Distortion.
Tidal Distortion
Tidal Distortion occurs through gravitational interaction of an astronomical body. For instance, the tidal distortion between the Earth and the moon are higher during no moon and full moon days. The Tidal forces stretches a body along the line towards the centre of mass of another body.
Significance of Black Holes
It is highly important for the scientists to study black holes as they tell them about the way the stars form and die.
Why is a Black hole invisible?
A Black Hole is a region in space where the gravity pull is so high. The gravitational pull is so strong that even light cannot get out. The gravity pull in the region is so strong as the matter has been squeezed into a tiny space. This usually happens when a star is dying.
Are Black Holes the end stage of a star?
Yes. Most of the star material is blasted away into space during its final stages. However, the core implodes into a neutron star called the black hole.