Closest known black hole to Earth spotted by astronomers

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have discovered the closest known black hole to Earth, just 1,600 light-years away. Scientists reported Friday that this black hole is 10 times more massive than our sun and it’s three times closer than the previous record-holder. It was confirmed by a telescope in Hawaii by observing the motion of its companion star, which orbits the black hole at about the same distance as Earth orbits the sun. The team initially identified the black hole using the European Space Agency’s Gaia spacecraft.