This week, a new Black Hole Record (kinda), and with it a nice conundrum. the GAIA mission has found the biggest black hole ... of the stellar-mass variety ... in our galaxy. A lot of caveats there, but the fun thing is, it's just next door, which makes us wonder if that's coincidence or a harbinger of more big black holes to come in GAIA's data dumps! Plus, a riddle: why do we keep spotting black holes that are too big to make? Did we break physics? Emily has a few explanations.

Help us make Syzygy even better! Tell your friends and give us a review, or show your support on Patreon: patreon.com/syzygypod

Syzygy is produced by Chris Stewart and co-hosted by Dr Emily Brunsden from the Department of Physics at the University of York.

On the web: syzygy.fm | Instagram & Threads: @syzygypod

Some of the things we talk about in this episode:

• The Biggest (small) Black Hole (in our galaxy)

• The rapid-release paper

• The GAIA mission

• GAIA’s data release schedule

• Types of Black Hole

• LIGO gravitational wave telescope

• Quasi-stars

• Syzygy Episode 116: Black Hole Sun

We're live from the 10th birthday celebrations for the University of York's Astrocampus, Emily's home turf and all-round fabulous teaching and outreach space. Emily fields some amazing questions from kids and adults attending the event, and gives some of Astrocampus's highlights and achievements over the past decade, as well as some plans for the future!

Help us make Syzygy even better! Tell your friends and give us a review, or show your support on Patreon: patreon.com/syzygypod

Syzygy is produced by Chris Stewart and co-hosted by Dr Emily Brunsden from the Department of Physics at the University of York.

On the web: syzygy.fm | Instagram & Threads: @syzygypod

After some lengthy follow-up (the Bennu sample is open at last! And SLIM is alive!), Emily investigates possibly the most podcasty story we’ve had on the show: six planets around distant star HD110067, all locked into resonances that play beautiful music. Turns out if you leave a planetary system alone for long enough, gravity tends to pull everything into simple harmonies. Maybe our own solar system has a song to sing in the far future?

Help us make Syzygy even better! Tell your friends and give us a review, or show your support on Patreon: patreon.com/syzygypod

Syzygy is produced by Chris Stewart and co-hosted by Dr Emily Brunsden from the Department of Physics at the University of York.

On the web: syzygy.fm | Instagram & Threads: @syzygypod

Things we talk about in this episode:

• The Bennu asteroid sample is open!

• JAXA SLIM updates

• First SLIM images

• Sextuplet symphony: The Nature paper

• A good article about the discovery

• Blog post by Dr Hugh Osborn with exoplanet music video

• Trappist-1 system

• Orbital resonances

• Multiple star systems

• JWST finds methane in exoplanet atmosphere

• A breathless headline