Millions of Black Holes May Hide in the Milky Way—Why Can’t We Find Them?

Millions of black holes may roam the Milky Way undetected, but finding one without a companion is a major challenge.

Astronomers searching Gaia data for isolated black holes within 50 light-years of Earth found candidates that failed follow-up checks using radio and infrared observations. Why are these invisible cosmic objects so difficult to detect, and what will it take to finally find one nearby?

Thank you for listening to Bedtime Astronomy — your guide to the cosmos. New episodes on space exploration, NASA missions & the latest astronomy breakthroughs.

This episode includes AI-generated content.