Supermassive black holes locked in a stable orbit around each other
8 hours ago
- #astronomy
- #space discovery
- #black holes
- First confirmed image of two black holes orbiting each other released.
- Discovery centers on quasar OJ287, located five billion light-years from Earth.
- Image shows two bright points representing jets from the black holes.
- Larger black hole has a mass 18 billion times that of the Sun; smaller one is 150 million times.
- RadioAstron satellite data used for high-resolution imaging.
- First direct evidence of a binary black hole system.
- Existence of two black holes in OJ287 suggested in 1982 based on brightness changes.
- New image confirms orbital pattern and binary nature of the system.
- Smaller black hole's jet twists, attributed to its orbit speed and direction.
- Supports predictions about galaxy evolution and black hole mergers.
- RadioAstron satellite key to the discovery; ground-based telescopes lack same imaging capacity.
- Follows earlier milestones in black hole imaging (Messier 87 and Milky Way).
- System's 12-year orbital period allows future tracking of interactions.