The population of black holes left over from dead stars in the Milky Way should total 100 million and yet it is almost entirely unexplored. Only two dozen black holes are confidently known in our Galaxy — all in binary systems with another star. As a result, the origin and properties of black holes will remain unknown until we can find and study free-floating, single black holes. Yet, how do we find these invisible objects? Professor Lu will present the novel search for Milky Way black holes and the discovery of the first lone black hole.

(photo courtesy of Ethan Tweedie)