Rare Black Hole Pair Reveals Future Gravitational Waves

Astronomers have identified, for the first time, a pair of supermassive black holes orbiting extremely close at the center of Markarian 501. By analyzing decades of radio data, scientists detected two distinct particle jets tracing a rapid 121-day orbit.

This rare system offers direct evidence of how black holes grow through mergers and provides a unique opportunity to study low-frequency gravitational waves before an eventual cosmic collision.

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