Editing Messier 4 (section)

==Central black hole==
[[File:STScI-01H0MY22SC4HPS3SYE78B4EZ4F AdobeExpress.gif|thumb|alt=Simulation of stellar motions in Messier 4|Simulation of stellar motions in Messier 4, where astronomers suspect that an [[intermediate-mass black hole]] could be present.<ref name="Vitral+23"/><ref name="NASAV23">{{cite news |date=23 May 2023|title=NASA's Hubble Hunts for Intermediate-Sized Black Hole Close to Home | url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2023/nasas-hubble-hunts-for-intermediate-sized-black-hole-close-to-home/ |work=NASA|access-date=23 May 2023}}</ref> If confirmed, the black hole would be in the center of the cluster, and would have a [[sphere of influence (black hole)]] limited by the red circle.]]
In 2023, an analysis of [[Hubble Space Telescope]] and European Space Agency's Gaia spacecraft data from Messier 4 revealed an excess mass of roughly 800 solar masses in the center of this cluster, which appears to not be extended. This could thus be considered as kinematic evidence for an [[intermediate-mass black hole]]<ref name="Vitral+23"/><ref name="NASAV23"/> (even if an unusually compact cluster of compact objects like [[white dwarfs]], [[neutron stars]] or stellar-mass [[black holes]] cannot be completely discounted).