Record #00429Space archive
Nearest Known Black Hole to Earth
Gaia BH1, about 1,560 light-years away toward Ophiuchus, is the nearest confirmed black hole to Earth. It was identified through the orbit of a Sun-like companion.
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Current Record
about1560light-years
Current record value
- Holder
- Gaia BH1
- Location
- —
- Start date
- —
- Record status
- VerifiedView verification details ↗Report an issue
Overview
Archive NoteGaia BH1 was not discovered through bright accretion X-rays. Gaia astrometry and ground-based radial-velocity spectroscopy constrained the mass of its unseen companion.
Its Sun-like star orbits approximately every 186 days, and the dark object has a mass near 9–10 solar masses. Closer undetected black holes may exist.
Record history
1 Milestones- about 1560 light-yearsGaia BH1Current Record
Sources
Evidence & ReferencesVerification basis and limitations
VerifiedThe record conclusion has sufficient verification support.
Basis: direct confirmation by an authority
NASA identifies Gaia BH1 as the nearest known black hole; the discovery paper reports approximately 480 parsecs.
- Verification assessment
- 2026-11-07
- Last editorial review
- 2026-11-07
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