A research team led by Dr. Benetge Perera from The University of Manchester has discovered the “missing link” from the Milky Way. The evidence discovered is reported to have been found in the Sagittarius A constellation which is 26,000 light years away from Earth.
According to Inverse, the black hole evidence was discovered in Milky Way’s globular cluster called NGC 6624. The evidence was found through detecting a pulsar called PSR B1820-30A. The discovery was mentioned to aid input regarding black hole formation since what they have found is an intermediate-mass black hole (IMBH).
With that said, it was mentioned that the pulsar PSR B1820-30A was the first to be discovered to be orbiting a black hole. The discovery of the intermediate-mass black hole was said to be the “missing link” in the Milky Way since it is in the middle of supermassive black holes and stellar-mass black holes. In which, could aid scientists in studying black hole formation more.
"Pulsars like PSR B1820 30A act as fantastically accurate clocks and allow us to determine precisely their distance from the Earth in the same way that global positioning satellites work. The pulsar is therefore very sensitive to any motion arising from the gravity of other nearby massive objects, such as black holes, making it easier for us to detect them," Professor Andrew Lyne from the School of Physics and Astronomy said as he explained the importance of pulsar in detecting the intermediate-mass black hole.
The pulsar found in the black hole was mentioned to be found by the scientists using the Lovell Telescope from Jodrell Bank. Meanwhile, some of the data obtained were analyzed through the aid of the Nançay Radio Telescope in France per Phys.Org.
Nonetheless, the team stated that their findings lead to the pulsar discovered being in an orbit around a central intermediate-mass black hole. The team then concluded that their study would further delve into how intermediate-mass black holes and the clusters form themselves and evolve.
