Unicorn … Small Black Hole Discovered near Earth

This artist rendering provided by NASA shows a star being swallowed by a black hole, and emitting an X-ray flare, shown in red, in the process. (NASA/Chandra X-ray Observatory/M.Weiss via AP/File)
This artist rendering provided by NASA shows a star being swallowed by a black hole, and emitting an X-ray flare, shown in red, in the process. (NASA/Chandra X-ray Observatory/M.Weiss via AP/File)
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Unicorn … Small Black Hole Discovered near Earth

This artist rendering provided by NASA shows a star being swallowed by a black hole, and emitting an X-ray flare, shown in red, in the process. (NASA/Chandra X-ray Observatory/M.Weiss via AP/File)
This artist rendering provided by NASA shows a star being swallowed by a black hole, and emitting an X-ray flare, shown in red, in the process. (NASA/Chandra X-ray Observatory/M.Weiss via AP/File)

Since a research team released the image of a newly discovered black hole on April 10, 2019, the study of this cosmic body gained much momentum, as it is the smallest black hole on record, and the closest to our planet.

Black holes are characterized with great gravity that nothing, not even particles or electromagnetic radiation like light, can escape. They usually have huge masses, larger than that of the sun. The newest discovery in this field is a black hole called "Unicorn," and it was announced on April 18, in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

The researchers named it "Unicorn" because of its unique size, and because it was found in Monoceros, a relatively dim constellation that exists to the east of the Orion constellation, and to the north of Sirius star in the constellation Canis Major.

Astronomers at the Ohio State University discovered the new black hole while examining a giant star in the constellation Monoceros, using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT).

They noticed that the star's light intensity and shape shift in different spots around the orbit, suggesting that another object is tugging on the star and changing its shape. The team believed the object is likely a black hole, and estimated it is a small one.

Although the mass of some black holes is millions of times larger than the sun's, the team estimates that the mass of Unicorn is only three times that of our sun. This indicates that the newly discovered black hole is smaller than the usually discovered ones. Few black holes with such small mass had been found in the universe. Lying a mere 1,500 light-years from us, Unicorn is considered close to the Earth.



Flights Cancelled to and from Indonesia’s Bali Due to Volcanic Ash

 Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)
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Flights Cancelled to and from Indonesia’s Bali Due to Volcanic Ash

 Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki spews ash and smoke during an eruption as seen from Lewolaga village in Titihena, East Nusa Tenggara, on November 13, 2024. (AFP)

Several international airlines cancelled flights to and from Indonesia's resort island of Bali on Wednesday, after further eruptions of a volcano that has spewed ash clouds as high as 10 km (32,808 ft) and forced thousands to evacuate.

Jetstar and Qantas said they had stopped flights to Bali on Wednesday for safety reasons because of volcanic ash, while plane tracking website Flightradar24 showed flights to the island by AirAsia and Virgin were also cancelled.

Bali is Indonesia's top tourist hotspot and is a popular destination for Australian visitors.

The first eruption of the Mount Lewotobi Laki-laki on Nov. 3 in the East Nusa Tenggara province, about 800 km (497 miles) from Bali, killed at least nine people. It has since erupted repeatedly, including multiple times on Tuesday.

From Nov. 4 to Nov. 12, 80 flights in Bali were cancelled, including from Singapore, Hong Kong, and several Australian cities, said Ahmad Syaugi Shahab, general manager of Bali's Ngurah Rai airport.

Indonesia has close to 130 active volcanoes and sits on the Pacific "Ring of Fire", an area of high seismic activity atop various tectonic plates.

The ash column from Mount Lewotobi has reached as high as 10 km and authorities have said sand fall has covered surrounding areas.