The collision of two supermassive black holes can be seen from Earth

.’s strange behavior Galaxy SDSS J1430 + 2303 It is located a billion light-years from Earth indicating that it could host one of the most anticipated events by astronomers: Collision of two supermassive black holes. Experts noted in an investigation published by the magazine Astronomy and astronomy The differences in light observed in this galaxy correspond to the moments prior to the collision between massive black holes.

According to their estimates, in this case they will reach A The combined mass of about 200 million suns And make sure that this phenomenon It can be seen from the ground. Moreover, astronomers believe that both Black holes will merge into one greater, leading to light blast Who will travel through space?

The first image of Arc A, the black hole in the center of our Milky Way galaxy

However, it is still not possible to determine its occurrence with certainty, although scientists believe so Can be realized in 2025. The The first detection of the collision of supermassive black holes happened in 2015. The main difference between the first event and the one that could happen in 2025 is that the collision will be larger.

Since 2015, more detections have been made thanks to gravitational waves that these colossal events send through spacetime. These huge fluctuations can be detected by laser interferometers located at the LIGO and Virgo observatories in the United States.

What is a black hole?

a Black hole It is a region in space where matter has collapsed on itself due to gravity. These stem from the gravitational collapse of a large star. According to astronomers, it is not known how these objects located in the centers of galaxies were formed.

When black holes collidea large amount of black hole mass known as . is leaking out gravitational waves Traveling at the speed of light can reach our planet. These waves get weaker the greater the distance they travel, so It is not easy to find out.

The nearest black hole to Earth is located a thousand light-years away

Astronomers believe that in The center of most galaxies is a supermassive black hole.And those in this category contain millions to billions of times the mass of the Sun.

Sagittarius A, the black hole in the center of the Milky Way

In early 2022, an international team of astronomers discovered a awesome black hole with an area equal to Seven solar masses Which, as they say, roams freely around interstellar space.

In May, they revealed the first photo of Sagittarius A, the supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way. As detailed by the European Southern Observatory (ESO, for its English acronym), this “provides irrefutable evidence that an object is in fact a black hole and casts valuable clues about its operation.”

In this way, scientists were able to determine the movement of a black hole located 5,100 light-years from Earth and traveling at a speed of about 45 kilometers per second.

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