In a significant astronomical breakthrough, researchers have unearthed evidence of a new intermediate-mass black hole near Sagittarius A* (Sgr A*), the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way. This discovery adds to the small but growing list of these elusive cosmic entities, often referred to as the “missing link” black holes.

Led by Florian Peißker from the University of Cologne, the team focused their study on the star cluster IRS 13, which is located just 0.1 light-years from Sgr A*. IRS 13 has always been a point of interest since its discovery twenty years ago, initially thought to be a massive star. Today, with high-resolution data, we confirm it houses an intermediate-mass black hole at its core,” explained Peißker.

This discovery was made possible through meticulous data analysis from the Hubble Space Telescope. Earlier this month, another team reported potential evidence of an intermediate-mass black hole in Omega Centauri, indicating a possible trend in locating these rare celestial phenomena.

Intermediate-mass black holes are of great interest because they serve as a crucial piece in the cosmic puzzle, linking smaller stellar-mass black holes and the colossal supermassive black holes that dominate galaxy centres.

The find is not just about adding numbers to a list; it’s about understanding the evolutionary path of galaxies and the black holes within them,” Peißker added. The research team suggests that IRS 13 and its newly discovered black hole could be key to understanding how supermassive black holes like Sgr A* grow over time.

With this discovery, the scientific community is hopeful that more such intermediate black holes will be identified, shedding further light on the mysteries of galactic evolution and black hole formation.

More from: Science