The nearest major black hole to Earth is located in the heart of the globular star cluster Omega Centauri.

One of the best candidates for an intermediate-mass black holes is lurking in the center of the huge globular star cluster Omega Centauri, weighing an estimated to be 8,200 times that of our sun. (1/6) 🧵

There's a surprising gap between stellar and supermassive black holes. If smaller black holes merge, we should see them in intermediate masses building up to the supermassive heavyweights. But evidence has been scarce. A new study of the Omega Centauri globular cluster, mapping the motions of 1.4 million stars, has turned up the most compelling evidence of an intermediate-mass black hole so far, weighing at least 8,200 times the mass of the Sun.

Astronomers find nearest massive black hole – study The black hole has been observed in the star cluster called Omega Centauri – a collection of around 10 million stars. #press