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Black hole

XTE J1118+480

Also KV Ursae Majoris

Open in Ouranos

A black hole about 7 times the Sun's mass high above the Milky Way's disc, feeding on a small orange star.

Measured

Distance
about 5,610 light-years (published estimates 5,284–5,936)
Constellation
Ursa Major
Position (J2000)
RA 11h 18m 11s, Dec +48.04°

How far, from the Sun

About 5,610 light-years. To cross it:

  • Light5,610 years
  • Voyager 1's speed99.7 million years
  • Driving at 100 km/h60.5 billion years

Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.

Facts

  • It lies far above the Galactic plane, so very little dust dims it.
  • NASA's RXTE satellite found it during an outburst in 2000.

Where this comes from

  • Gelino et al. 2006, ApJ 642, 438 (1.72 ± 0.10 kpc)
  • This research has made use of the SIMBAD database, CDS, Strasbourg, France (Wenger et al. 2000, A&AS 143, 9).
  • This research has made use of the VizieR catalogue access tool, CDS, Strasbourg, France (DOI: 10.26093/cds/vizier).

Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.