PKS 2131-021 is a blazar, a type of active galactic nucleus whose relativistic jet points in the direction toward the Earth. Its redshift is 1.285. Observations of its radio emission spanning a 45-year duration show epochs of periodic brightness variations. These nearly sinusoidal brightness changes have been interpreted as evidence of orbital motion of a binary black hole. [1] The orbital separation of the two black holes is inferred to be 200 to 2000 AU. [2] [3] The periodic variability in the light curve indicates that the pair orbit each other about every two years, at a distance so close that they will merge in about 10,000 years (as viewed from the Earth). [4]
See also
References
- ^ O'Neill, S.; et al. (2022). "The Unanticipated Phenomenology of the Blazar PKS 2131–021: A Unique Supermassive Black Hole Binary Candidate". The Astrophysical Journal Letters. 926 (2): 2. arXiv: 2111.02436. Bibcode: 2022ApJ...926L..35O. doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ac504b. S2CID 242757503.
- ^ DiCenza, Shawn (2022-03-24). "Astronomers Discover two Supermassive Black Holes Orbiting Each Other, Doomed to Collide in the Future". Universe Today. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ "These Two Black Hole Behemoths Will Merge in 10,000 Years". Sky & Telescope. 2022-02-28. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
- ^ "Colossal Black Holes Locked in Dance at Heart of Galaxy". California Institute of Technology. 2022-02-23. Retrieved 2022-03-29.
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