NOIRLab - The Closest Black Hole To Earth

Black holes are some of the most interesting objects in the universe and can be hard to detect if they are not actively consuming matter and generating light. In this podcast, Dr. Kareem El-Badry discusses how he led a team that discovered a black hole that is not actively consuming material and that is also the closest currently known black hole to Earth.   Bios:  Rob Sparks is in the Communications, Education and Engagement group at NSF’s NOIRLab in Tucson, Arizona.. Dr. Kareem El-Badry is an astrophysicist at the Harvard/Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.  His research uses a mix of telescope observations, stellar evolution models, and data mining of astronomical surveys to study binary stars -- that is, pairs of stars that are orbiting each other and formed from the same gas cloud. He and his collaborators recently published a paper reporting the discovery of a binary containing a dormant black hole and a Sun-like star, orbiting each other at roughly the same distance as the Earth and the Sun.    We've added a new way to donate to 365 Days of Astronomy to support editing, hosting, and production costs.  Just visit: https://www.patreon.com/365DaysOfAstronomy and donate as much as you can! Share the podcast with your friends and send the Patreon link to them too!  Every bit helps! Thank you! ------------------------------------ Do go visit http://www.redbubble.com/people/CosmoQuestX/shop for cool Astronomy Cast and CosmoQuest t-shirts, coffee mugs and other awesomeness! http://cosmoquest.org/Donate This show is made possible through your donations.  Thank you! (Haven't donated? It's not too late! Just click!) ------------------------------------ The 365 Days of Astronomy Podcast is produced by the Planetary Science Institute. http://www.psi.edu Visit us on the web at 365DaysOfAstronomy.org or email us at [email protected].