Not So Fast With LB-1

Three preprints posted to Arxiv.org on 12/10/19 argue that LB-1 does not have a mass of 70 solar mass. Rather it is more likely to have a mass of <10 solar mass.

Weighing in on black hole binaries with BPASS: LB-1 does not contain a 70M$_{\odot}$ black hole

Not so fast: LB-1 is unlikely to contain a 70 $M_{\odot}$ black hole

No signature of the orbital motion of a putative 70 solar mass black hole in LB-1

What is “foolish” are rushes to judgement in science. When surprising new findings are first published, it is wise to wait for independent confirmation or refutation. Remember “faster-than- light” neutrinos, or 147 false “hints” of WIMP detections, or the champagne celebrations after the BICEP2 result that turned out to be a false positive [ https://www.nature.com/news/gravitational-waves-discovery-now-officially-dead-1.16830], or etc.