Close to non-existing.Jimster41 said:the cnn version of the story... is a bit thin
A black hole is a region in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, including light, can escape its grasp. This occurs when a massive star collapses in on itself.
In a binary system, two stars orbit each other. If one of the stars in the system is massive enough, it can collapse into a black hole. The other star may continue to orbit around the black hole, forming a binary system with a black hole at its center.
The strong gravitational pull of the black hole can cause the companion star to distort and release gas and matter. This gas and matter can form an accretion disk around the black hole and emit high-energy radiation.
No, the black hole is too far away from Earth to pose any direct danger to us. However, the high-energy radiation emitted from the accretion disk can be harmful to life forms if they were in close proximity.
Yes, black holes in binary systems can merge over time if they are close enough and their orbits decay. This can result in the release of a large amount of energy in the form of gravitational waves.