The closest black hole to the Earth has been discovered just 1,000 light years away — near enough to see its companion stars with the naked eye on a clear night.

Located in the constellation of Telescopium, the hole forms part of a so-called ‘triple system — one named ‘HR 6819’ — with its two accompanying stars.

The presence of a hidden black hole in HR 6819 was discovered by researchers from the European Southern Observatory (ESO)’s La Silla Observatory in Chile.