The closest black hole to Earth was reported in 2020 by the European Southern Observatory. The results of their study were disputed by other researchers. In a paper published today, the two teams reported that there is no black hole in HR 6819, which is a two-star system in a rare and short-lived stage of its evolution.
The study on HR 6819 received a lot of attention. The astronomer who was the lead author on the paper was not surprised by the reception to the discovery of the black hole.
Rivinius and his colleagues believed that the best explanation for the data they had was that HR 6819 was a triple system, with one star in a black hole every 40 days and a second star in a much wider circle. A study led by Julia Bodensteiner suggested that HR 6819 could be a system with only two stars and no black hole. One of the stars would have to be stripped because it had lost a lot of its mass to the other star.
We had reached the limit of the existing data, so we had to turn to a different observational strategy to decide between the two scenarios proposed by the two teams.
The two teams worked together to get new, sharper data of HR 6819 using the Very Large Telescope and the Very Large Telescope Interferometer. The two teams joined forces to find the true nature of the system since it made no sense to ask for the same observation twice.
The scenarios we were looking for were clear, very different and easily distinguishable with the right instrument.
The VLTI's GRAVITY instrument and the MUSE instrument were used to distinguish between the two proposals.
MUSE and GRAVITY both confirmed that there was no bright companion in a wider path.
The best interpretation so far is that we caught this system in a moment after one of the stars sucked the atmosphere off its companion star. This is a common phenomenon in close systems and is referred to in the press as " stellar vampirism".
It is very difficult to catch such a post-Interaction phase as it is so short.
The VLTI's GRAVITY instrument will be used to monitor HR 6819 more closely. To better understand the system's evolution, the researchers will conduct a joint study over time to learn more about other systems.
The team is optimistic about the search for black holes. It will be a matter of time before they are discovered.
This research was presented in the paper and will appear in Astronomy and Astrophysics.
More information: "HR 6819 is a binary system with no black hole: Revisiting the source with infrared interferometry and optical integral field spectroscopy" Astronomy & Astrophysics (2022). DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361/202143004 Journal information: Astronomy & Astrophysics Citation: 'Closest black hole' system found to contain no black hole (2022, March 2) retrieved 2 March 2022 from https://phys.org/news/2022-03-closest-black-hole.html This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.
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