Black holes 'colliding in space'
Image of black hole merger
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Friday, 18, May 2007 12:59
Astronomers have discovered the precise locations of a pair of black holes at the centre of an ongoing collision between two galaxies 300 million light years away.
The discovery is said to be a "crucial" step towards understanding how the universe evolved.
Black holes are areas of space with a gravitational field so powerful that no matter or light that has entered can ever escape.
Using the WM Keck Observatory in Hawaii, scientists found that in the galaxy merger, known as NGC 6240, each of the black holes exists at the centre of a rotating disk of stars.
They are surrounded by a cloud of young star clusters formed in the merger. Although 300 million light years away, the merger is relatively close to Earth, making it easier to observe in detail.
Commenting on the discovery, Gabriela Canalizo, assistant professor of physics at UC Riverside, said: "The study of the interplay between galaxy mergers, star formation, and activity from accreting black holes is crucial to our understanding of how the universe evolved to the galaxies and structures we see today.
"NGC 6240 presents an ideal lab for study and for testing our current models of galaxy evolution."
The find is presented today online in Science Express.