What apparently appeared to be two supermassive black holes about to collide and cause an explosion of gravitational waves, has turned out to be a more surprising phenomenon if possible. A team of astronomers from Columbia University in New York (USA) has determined that this pair of black holes is not about to collide but that both orbit very close to each other, just one light week away . The study has been published in the journal Nature .
“It is the closest set of black holes we have ever observed, on its way to a massive collision. Thanks to its observation we will be able to see if black holes and galaxies are growing at the same speed “, explains Zoltan Haiman, leader of the study.
According to data collected at the Palomar Observatory in California, the number of black holes discovered continues to increase, including this rare type of binary black hole. In addition, this dance between the two black holes is the cause of the rhythmic flashes of light from the quasar PG 1302-102 , according to the scientists in their work. “The detection of gravitational waves will allow us to probe the secrets of gravity and the proof of Einstein’s theory in the most extreme environments of the Universe, such as black holes. Getting there is a holy grail of our field ”, clarifies Haiman.
The possibilities of contemplating a collision between black holes are more and more abundant and it is predicted that, according to the calculations of the mass of this pair of supermassive black holes, this phenomenon will occur in about 100,000 years .
