Gaia discovers a new family of black holes

Using data from ESA's Gaia mission, astronomers have discovered not only the closest but also the second closest black hole to Earth. The black holes, Gaia BH1 and Gaia BH2, are respectively located just 1,560 light-years away from us in the direction of the constellation Ophiuchus and 3,800 light-years away in the constellation Centaurus. In galactic terms, these black holes reside in our cosmic backyard.