For the first time, scientists have captured an image of two black holes orbiting one another.
The pair sits at the heart of a bright, distant quasar called OJ287 — a cosmic powerhouse powered by supermassive black holes feeding on surrounding gas and dust.
The discovery, made by an international team of astronomers, confirms a theory that has intrigued scientists for decades.
Quasars are among the brightest objects in the universe. Their light comes from hot material swirling around a supermassive black hole at a galaxy’s center.
OJ287, located billions of light-years away, has long fascinated astronomers because its brightness varies regularly every 12 years — a hint that two black holes might be circling each other.
“What makes OJ287 special is that it’s so bright it can even be seen by amateur astronomers,” said Professor Mauri Valtonen from the University of Turku in Finland, the study’s lead author.
“For years, we suspected two black holes were orbiting each other, and now we finally have proof.” The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal.
OJ287 was first photographed in the 19th century — long before anyone knew black holes existed.
Early astronomers accidentally captured it while studying nearby stars. Decades later, Finnish researcher Aimo Sillanpää noticed that the quasar’s light fluctuated every 12 years, suggesting the presence of a second black hole. Since then, hundreds of scientists have tracked OJ287 to test this idea.
Four years ago, doctoral researcher Lankeswar Dey from India solved the mystery of the black holes’ orbits through detailed calculations. The final missing piece was to capture both black holes in a single image. NASA’s TESS satellite detected light from both, but they appeared as one bright spot because optical telescopes lacked the resolution to distinguish them.
To truly see them, astronomers turned to radio telescopes capable of capturing images with 100,000 times more detail. By comparing the radio data with theoretical models, they found the two black holes exactly where predicted. “For the first time, we have a clear image of two black holes orbiting each other,” Valtonen said.
In the image, the black holes appear as bright spots marked by the powerful jets of particles they shoot into space. The smaller black hole’s jet was especially intriguing — it twisted like a rotating garden hose as it moved around its larger partner. Scientists call it a “wagging tail” and expect to see it changing direction as the smaller black hole speeds up or slows down in its orbit.
The image was made possible thanks to the RadioAstron satellite, which extended its radio antenna halfway to the Moon, giving astronomers unprecedented resolution.
Though today’s Earth-based telescopes can’t yet match that clarity, the OJ287 image marks a major milestone in understanding how black holes interact — and how galaxies like ours evolve over time.
Source: KSR.
