Astronomers Uncover the Dramatic Past of a Red Giant Star Orbiting a Hidden Black Hole

Astronomers Uncover the Dramatic Past of a Red Giant Star Orbiting a Hidden Black Hole

Astronomers at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Institute for Astronomy (IfA) have pieced together a cosmic puzzle, revealing the dramatic past of a distant red giant star by analyzing the faint rhythmic pulses hidden in its light.  Every star has a celestial “song” whose rhythm is evidenced by changes in its brightness. Astronomers believe that long ago, the star that orbits a dormant black hole in the Gaia BH2 system once collided and merg…

Red giant starquakes reshape what scientists think about quiet black holes

You live in a galaxy packed with black holes that never announce themselves. They do not blaze in X-rays or glow with stolen gas. They hide. Astronomers find them by watching the stars that dance around them. Two such systems, called Gaia BH2 and Gaia BH3, sit in your own Milky Way. Each pairs a red giant with a dormant black hole, meaning the black hole feeds on almost nothing and gives off almost no light. A new investigation shows that the vi…

Scientists discover a fast-spinning red giant star orbiting a silent black hole

Astronomers have uncovered the unusual history of a distant red giant star by “listening” to tiny vibrations rippling through it. These vibrations, known as starquakes, revealed that the star may have gone through a violent past involving a collision or merger with another star. Today, it orbits a quiet black hole in a system known […] The post Scientists discover a fast-spinning red giant star orbiting a silent black hole appeared first on Know…