{"id":21903,"date":"2023-09-08T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-08T09:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ieec.cat\/?p=21903"},"modified":"2023-09-21T15:18:16","modified_gmt":"2023-09-21T13:18:16","slug":"the-closest-black-holes-to-earth-could-be-in-the-hyades-star-cluster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ieec.cat\/en\/the-closest-black-holes-to-earth-could-be-in-the-hyades-star-cluster\/","title":{"rendered":"The closest black holes to Earth could be in the Hyades star cluster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>[et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_image=&#8221;https:\/\/www.ieec.cat\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/slider-comunicacio.jpg&#8221; max_height=&#8221;130px&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||0px||false|false&#8221; da_disable_devices=&#8221;off|off|off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; da_is_popup=&#8221;off&#8221; da_exit_intent=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_close=&#8221;on&#8221; da_alt_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_dark_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_not_modal=&#8221;on&#8221; da_is_singular=&#8221;off&#8221; da_with_loader=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_shadow=&#8221;on&#8221;][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=&#8221;1&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;24px||11px|||&#8221; da_disable_devices=&#8221;off|off|off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; da_is_popup=&#8221;off&#8221; da_exit_intent=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_close=&#8221;on&#8221; da_alt_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_dark_close=&#8221;off&#8221; da_not_modal=&#8221;on&#8221; da_is_singular=&#8221;off&#8221; da_with_loader=&#8221;off&#8221; da_has_shadow=&#8221;on&#8221;][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;||||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Unitats de recerca&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _dynamic_attributes=&#8221;content&#8221; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font=&#8221;|700||on|||||&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; header_font=&#8221;|700|||||||&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||10px||false|false&#8221; header_font_size_tablet=&#8221;28px&#8221; header_font_size_phone=&#8221;26px&#8221; header_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]@ET-DC@eyJkeW5hbWljIjp0cnVlLCJjb250ZW50IjoiY3VzdG9tX21ldGFfb3JnYW5pemFjaW9uZXMiLCJzZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJiZWZvcmUiOiIiLCJhZnRlciI6IiIsImVuYWJsZV9odG1sIjoib2ZmIn19@[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_post_title author=&#8221;off&#8221; categories=&#8221;off&#8221; comments=&#8221;off&#8221; featured_image=&#8221;off&#8221; admin_label=&#8221;T\u00edtol i data&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; title_font=&#8221;Cairo|300|||||||&#8221; title_font_size=&#8221;40px&#8221; meta_font=&#8221;||on||||||&#8221; meta_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; title_font_size_tablet=&#8221;35px&#8221; title_font_size_phone=&#8221;30px&#8221; title_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|desktop&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Subt\u00edtols&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font=&#8221;Source Sans Pro||on||||||&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;24px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.1em&#8221; text_font_size_tablet=&#8221;22px&#8221; text_font_size_phone=&#8221;20px&#8221; text_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>New simulations support the presence of two or three black holes in a star cluster located about 150 light-years away, ten times closer than the nearest known black hole<\/li>\n<li>The simulations have been compared with real data obtained with the Gaia mission of the European Space Agency (ESA)<\/li>\n<li>The study has had the collaboration of IEEC researchers at the Institute of Cosmos Sciences (ICCUB)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;1_2,1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_post_title title=&#8221;off&#8221; meta=&#8221;off&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||0px||false|false&#8221; border_width_top=&#8221;10px&#8221; border_color_top=&#8221;#406fda&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_post_title][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font=&#8221;||||||||&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;15px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.1em&#8221; background_color=&#8221;rgba(64,111,218,0.15)&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px||||false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;30px|20px|30px|20px|true|true&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Caption:<\/strong> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Image of the Hyades star cluster.<\/span><br \/><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><strong>Credits:<\/strong> Jose Mtanous.<br \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;1_2&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; link_font=&#8221;|700|||on||||&#8221; hover_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221; sticky_enabled=&#8221;0&#8243;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A group of scientists have published new results that hint at the <\/span><b>existence of several black holes in the Hyades cluster<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, making them the closest black holes to Earth ever detected (ten times closer than the nearest known black hole). The research has been published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society this September.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The work, led by <\/span><b>Stefano Torniamenti<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unipd.it\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">University of Padova<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, was carried out during his research stay at the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/icc.ub.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (ICCUB), <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">one of the research units that make up the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ieec.cat\/en\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (IEEC \u2014 Institut d&#8217;Estudis Espacials de Catalunya),<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> where he collaborated with <\/span><b>Mark Gieles<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (ICREA research professor at ICCUB-IEEC) and <\/span><b>Friedrich Anders <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">(ICCUB-IEEC).<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since their discovery, <b>black holes have been one of the most mysterious and fascinating phenomena in our Universe<\/b>, becoming an object of study for researchers all over the world. This is particularly true for small black holes, because they have been the most observed during the detection of gravitational waves. Since the detection of the first gravitational waves in 2015, many events which correspond to mergers of pairs of lower-mass black holes have been observed.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; link_font=&#8221;|700|||on||||&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the newly published paper, the team of astrophysicists use <\/span><b>simulations that reproduce the motion and evolution of all the stars of the Hyades<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is the closest open cluster to our Solar System (its distance to the Sun is approximately 150 light years). Open clusters are loosely bound groups of hundreds of stars that share some properties such as their age and chemical characteristics. <\/span><b>The results of the simulation were then compared to the actual position and velocities<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> of the Hyades stars, which are now accurately known thanks to the observations made by the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Gaia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gaia<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Satellite of the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">European Space Agency<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (ESA).<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cOur simulations can only simultaneously match the mass and size of the Hyades if some black holes are present at the cluster centre at the present day (or until recently),\u201d says Stefano Torniamenti, now postdoctoral researcher at the University of Padova and first author of the paper. The work was done during a research stay of Torniamenti at the ICCUB and it is the result of the close collaboration of this institute with the University of Padova, the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cam.ac.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">University of<\/span> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cambridge<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (UK), the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">European Southern Observatory<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (ESO) and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sysu.edu.cn\/sysuen\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sun Yat-sen University<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> (China).<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Hyades observed properties are best reproduced by simulations with <\/span><b>2 or 3 black holes at present<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. However, the simulations where all the black holes were recently ejected (less than 150 million years ago, roughly the last quarter of the age of the cluster) can still give a good match because the cluster\u2019s evolution could not erase the imprints of its previous black hole population.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In any case, the new results indicate that the black holes born in the Hyades are still inside the cluster, or very near. This makes them <\/span><b>the closest black holes to the Sun<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, much closer than the prior candidate, namely Gaia BH1, which is at 1570 light-years from the Sun.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThis observation helps us to understand how the presence of black holes affects the evolution of star clusters and how in turn star clusters contribute to the gravitational wave sources\u201d, comments Gieles, host of the first author in Barcelona. \u201cThese results also give us a glimpse at how these mysterious objects are distributed throughout the galaxy,\u201d concludes the researcher.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Press release prepared in collaboration with the Institute of Cosmos Sciences of the University of Barcelona (ICCUB).<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;30px||||false|false&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_divider color=&#8221;#406fda&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||10px||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;M\u00e9s informaci\u00f3&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font=&#8221;Cairo|700|||||||&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#406fda&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;20px&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||10px||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>More information<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.1em&#8221; link_font=&#8221;|700|||on||||&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;20px||||false|false&#8221; link_option_url_new_window=&#8221;on&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This research is presented in a paper entitled \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/mnras\/article\/524\/2\/1965\/7210551\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stellar-mass black holes in the Hyades star cluster?<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d, by<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> S. Torniamenti, M. Gieles <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">et al.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which appeared in the journal <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> in September 2023. DOI: 10.1093\/mnras\/stad1925<\/span><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||||false|false&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_divider color=&#8221;#406fda&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||10px||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Enlla\u00e7os&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font=&#8221;Cairo|700|||||||&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#406fda&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;20px&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||10px||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>Links<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.1em&#8221; link_font=&#8221;|700|||on|||#1a1140|&#8221; link_text_color=&#8221;#1a1140&#8243; link_line_height=&#8221;1.4em&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;20px||||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.ieec.cat\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">IEEC<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/icc.ub.edu\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ICCUB<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unipd.it\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">University of Padova<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.esa.int\/Science_Exploration\/Space_Science\/Gaia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Gaia<\/span><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||||false|false&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_divider color=&#8221;#406fda&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||10px||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Contactes&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font=&#8221;Cairo|700|||||||&#8221; text_text_color=&#8221;#406fda&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;20px&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||10px||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>Contacts<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=&#8221;2_5,3_5&#8243; admin_label=&#8221;Row&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;0px||||false|false&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;0px||||false|false&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;2_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||20px|false|false&#8221; border_width_left=&#8221;1px&#8221; border_color_left=&#8221;#406fda&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1.1em&#8221; link_font=&#8221;|700|||on|||#1a1140|&#8221; link_text_color=&#8221;#1a1140&#8243; link_line_height=&#8221;1.4em&#8221; header_4_font=&#8221;|700|||||||&#8221; header_4_text_color=&#8221;#1a1140&#8243; custom_margin=&#8221;||||false|false&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h4>IEEC Communication Office<\/h4>\n<p>Barcelona, Spain<br \/>E-mail: <a href=\"mailto:comunicacio@ieec.cat\">comunicacio@ieec.cat<\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=&#8221;3_5&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;|||20px|false|false&#8221; border_width_left=&#8221;1px&#8221; border_color_left=&#8221;#406fda&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font_size=&#8221;16px&#8221; text_line_height=&#8221;1em&#8221; link_font=&#8221;|700|||on||||&#8221; link_text_color=&#8221;#1a1140&#8243; header_4_font=&#8221;|700|||||||&#8221; header_4_text_color=&#8221;#1a1140&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h4>Lead Researcher at the IEEC<\/h4>\n<p>Barcelona, Spain<\/p>\n<h4>Mark Gieles<\/h4>\n<p>Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC)<br \/>Institute of Cosmos Sciences (ICCUB)<br \/>E-mail: <a href=\"mailto:mgieles@ieec.cat\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">mgieles@ieec.cat<\/span><\/a><a href=\"mailto:iribas@ice.cat\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; background_color=&#8221;rgba(64,111,218,0.15)&#8221; global_module=&#8221;17324&#8243; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_column type=&#8221;4_4&#8243; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; custom_padding=&#8221;20px|50px|20px|50px|true|true&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Sobre l&#8217;IEEC&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; header_2_font=&#8221;|700|||||||&#8221; header_2_font_size=&#8221;25px&#8221; custom_margin=&#8221;||10px||false|false&#8221; header_2_font_size_tablet=&#8221;23px&#8221; header_2_font_size_phone=&#8221;23px&#8221; header_2_font_size_last_edited=&#8221;on|phone&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<h2>About the IEEC<\/h2>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text admin_label=&#8221;Text&#8221; _builder_version=&#8221;4.14.8&#8243; _module_preset=&#8221;default&#8221; text_font=&#8221;||on||||||&#8221; link_font=&#8221;|700|||on||||&#8221; locked=&#8221;off&#8221; global_colors_info=&#8221;{}&#8221;]<\/p>\n<p>The Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC \u2014 Institut d\u2019Estudis Espacials de Catalunya) promotes and coordinates space research and technology development in Catalonia for the benefit of society. IEEC fosters collaborations both locally and worldwide and is an efficient agent of knowledge, innovation and technology transfer. As a result of more than 25 years of high-quality research, done in collaboration with major international organisations, IEEC ranks among the best international research centres, focusing on areas such as: astrophysics, cosmology, planetary science, and Earth Observation. IEEC\u2019s engineering division develops instrumentation for ground- and space-based projects, and has extensive experience in working with private or public organisations from the aerospace and other innovation sectors.<\/p>\n<p>The IEEC is a non-profit public sector foundation that was established in February 1996. It has a Board of Trustees composed of the Generalitat de Catalunya, Universitat de Barcelona (UB), Universitat Aut\u00f2noma de Barcelona (UAB), Universitat Polit\u00e8cnica de Catalunya \u00b7 BarcelonaTech (UPC), and the Spanish Research Council (CSIC). The IEEC is also a CERCA centre.<\/p>\n<p>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>New simulations support the presence of two or three black holes in a star cluster located about 150 light-years away, ten times closer than the nearest known black hole.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":21888,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"2880","footnotes":""},"categories":[111,74,98],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21903","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-highlighted-news-small","category-news","category-science"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>The closest black holes to Earth could be in the Hyades star cluster - 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