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International Space Science Institute (ISSI)Hallerstrasse 6
3012 Bern
Switzerland

Phone +41 31 684 48 96
Email issi@issibern.ch

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Season’s Greetings

19. December 2024

✨ Season’s Greetings 2024 ✨

We wish you a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year

This year’s card showcases an artist’s impression of Gaia BH3, the most massive stellar black hole discovered in our galaxy, as revealed through the delicate wobble it induces on a companion star. This celestial dance, meticulously tracked by the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission and confirmed by data from ESO’s Very Large Telescope in Chile, unveils a black hole 33 times the mass of our Sun. The companion star’s composition hints at the formation of this black hole from the collapse of a massive, metal-poor star, aligning with theoretical predictions.

A Spiral Amongst Thousands
Credits ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, A. Martel