An Isolated Stellar-Mass Black Hole Detected Through Astrometric Microlensing

We report the first unambiguous detection and mass measurement of an isolated stellar-mass black hole (BH). We used the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) to carry out precise astrometry of the source star of the long-duration (t_E ~ 270 days), high-magnification microlensing event MOA-2011-BLG-191/OGLE-2011-BLG-0462, in the direction of the Galactic bulge. HST imaging, conducted at eight epochs over an interval of six years, reveals a clear relativistic astrometric deflection of the background star's apparent position. Ground-based photometry shows a parallactic signature of the effect of the Earth's motion on the microlensing light curve. Combining the HST astrometry with the ground-based light curve and the derived parallax, we obtain a lens mass of 7.1 +/- 1.3 M_Sun and a distance of 1.58 +/- 0.18 kpc. We show that the lens emits no detectable light, which, along with having a mass higher than is possible for a white dwarf or neutron star, confirms its BH nature. Our analysis also provides an absolute proper motion for the BH. The proper motion is offset from the mean motion of Galactic-disk stars at similar distances by an amount corresponding to a transverse space velocity of ~45 km/s, suggesting that the BH received a modest natal 'kick' from its supernova explosion. Previous mass determinations for stellar-mass BHs have come from radial-velocity measurements of Galactic X-ray binaries, and from gravitational radiation emitted by merging BHs in binary systems in external galaxies. Our mass measurement is the first ever for an isolated stellar-mass BH using any technique

On the revolution of heavenly spheres

The Ptolemaic system of the universe, with the earth at the center, had held sway since antiquity as authoritative in philosophy, science, and church teaching. Following his observations of the heavenly bodies, Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543) abandoned the geocentric system for a heliocentric model, with the sun at the center. His remarkable work, On the Revolutions of Heavenly Spheres, stands as one of the greatest intellectual revolutions of all time, and profoundly influenced, among others, Galileo and Sir Isaac Newton

Nicolai Copernici Torinensis De reuolutionibus orbium coelestium, Libri VI ...

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Título: De revolutionibus orbium coelestium

Año tomado del colofónMarca de imp. en port. y en 2G\b6\svSign.: [ ]\p6\s, a-z\p4\s, A-Z\p4\s, 2A-2F\p4\s, 2G\p6\sGrab. xil. intercalados en el texto: figuras geométrica

De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, solar system

Page image from bound volume which has the following bibliographic description: [6], 213, [1] leaves : illustrations ; folioCopernicus argued that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe. The book was the most important astronomy treatise written since Ptolemy. De revolutionibuswas popular and recognized as a significant and classic work almost immediately. This volume is a second edition, published in Basel, Switzerland in 1566. The book was never trimmed and retains its original deckle edge. This copy was bound later in the nineteenth century with quarter calf and marbled papers over boards. The spine has raised gilt bands with a red Morocco title label. The spine has gilt lettering with the incorrect date of 1556. The first edition was published in 1543

De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, title page

Page image from bound volume which has the following bibliographic description: [6], 213, [1] leaves : illustrations ; folioCopernicus argued that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe. The book was the most important astronomy treatise written since Ptolemy. De revolutionibuswas popular and recognized as a significant and classic work almost immediately. This volume is a second edition, published in Basel, Switzerland in 1566. The book was never trimmed and retains its original deckle edge. This copy was bound later in the nineteenth century with quarter calf and marbled papers over boards. The spine has raised gilt bands with a red Morocco title label. The spine has gilt lettering with the incorrect date of 1556. The first edition was published in 1543

De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, table of figures

Page image from bound volume which has the following bibliographic description: [6], 213, [1] leaves : illustrations ; folioCopernicus argued that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe. The book was the most important astronomy treatise written since Ptolemy. De revolutionibuswas popular and recognized as a significant and classic work almost immediately. This volume is a second edition, published in Basel, Switzerland in 1566. The book was never trimmed and retains its original deckle edge. This copy was bound later in the nineteenth century with quarter calf and marbled papers over boards. The spine has raised gilt bands with a red Morocco title label. The spine has gilt lettering with the incorrect date of 1556. The first edition was published in 1543

De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, table of aquarius

Page image from bound volume which has the following bibliographic description: [6], 213, [1] leaves : illustrations ; folioCopernicus argued that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe. The book was the most important astronomy treatise written since Ptolemy. De revolutionibuswas popular and recognized as a significant and classic work almost immediately. This volume is a second edition, published in Basel, Switzerland in 1566. The book was never trimmed and retains its original deckle edge. This copy was bound later in the nineteenth century with quarter calf and marbled papers over boards. The spine has raised gilt bands with a red Morocco title label. The spine has gilt lettering with the incorrect date of 1556. The first edition was published in 1543

De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, geometric images

Page image from bound volume which has the following bibliographic description: [6], 213, [1] leaves : illustrations ; folioCopernicus argued that the sun, not the earth, was the center of the universe. The book was the most important astronomy treatise written since Ptolemy. De revolutionibuswas popular and recognized as a significant and classic work almost immediately. This volume is a second edition, published in Basel, Switzerland in 1566. The book was never trimmed and retains its original deckle edge. This copy was bound later in the nineteenth century with quarter calf and marbled papers over boards. The spine has raised gilt bands with a red Morocco title label. The spine has gilt lettering with the incorrect date of 1556. The first edition was published in 1543

Nicolai Copernici... De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libris VI ... Item De libris revolutionum Nicolai Copernici narratio prima / per M. Georgium Ioachimum Rheticum ...

Fecha tomada del colofón. Marca de imp. en port. y al fin. 6, a-z. A-2F4, 2G6.A Res. 53/5/0