The first black hole to be widely accepted as such, discovered in 1971, was the X‑ray source Cygnus X‑1, identified by astronomers Paul Murdin and Louise Webster.

Quick Scoop

  • In 1971, British astronomers Paul Murdin and Louise Webster analysed the X‑ray source Cygnus X‑1 in the constellation Cygnus.
  • Their work showed an invisible, very massive object orbiting a bright blue supergiant star, matching the expected properties of a stellar‑mass black hole.
  • This object, Cygnus X‑1, became the first celestial object to be broadly recognised by the scientific community as a black hole.

In short: Cygnus X‑1 was the first accepted black hole, and it was discovered in 1971 by Paul Murdin and Louise Webster.

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