This 'Unicorn'is the closest known black hole to Earth, and it is one of its kind ⬇️
that's nearing the end of its life. That companion has been observed by a variety of instruments over the years, including the All Sky Automated Survey and NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite.
The team determined that the object doing the tugging is likely a black hole — one harboring a mere three solar masses, based on details of the star's velocity and the light distortion. That explanation, likely though it may be, is not set in stone;"The Unicorn" remains a black hole candidate at the moment.
But efforts to find extremely low-mass black holes have increased significantly in recent years, Thompson said, so we could soon learn much more about these mysterious objects.