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This Wandering Black Hole Has Left Its Galactic Center

An international team of astronomers has found a black hole in an unusual location. While massive black holes are typically located in the centers of galaxies, this one is offset from its dwarf galaxy's nucleus by almost one kiloparsec, or more than about 3,200 light years. It's not the only one, suggesting that black holes can accrete gas and become more massive regardless of being in the galactic center. Image Credit: Artistic illustration (Image generated by ChatGPT). Credit: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Traditionally, black holes are usually thought to reside at the centers of galaxies. However, a research team led by Dr. An Tao from the Shanghai Astronomical Observatory of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has discovered a wandering black hole in a dwarf galaxy located about 230 million light-years away.



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