Astronomy Picture of the Day · January 17, 2000

V4641 Sgr: The Closest Black Hole Candidate

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for January 17, 2000 is “V4641 Sgr: The Closest Black Hole Candidate,” an image. It is credited to Credit: Robert M. Hjellming et al., VLA , NRAO. The original explanation runs about 170 words.

From the explanation

“An object many astronomers believe is a black hole has been found only 1500 light-years from Earth, making it the closest black hole candidate . Although dramatic explosions emanate from the object, it is far enough away so that we are in no danger.”

— APOD editors, January 17, 2000

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: January 17, 2000
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Robert M. Hjellming et al., VLA , NRAO
Copyright: No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 170 words

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Topics in this entry

Black holes

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: January 17 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, January 17, 2000 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2000-january-17-v4641-sgr-the-closest-black-hole-candidate

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.