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About the Image
- Date
- 2020-04-28
- ID
- ssc2020-11a
- Type
- Artwork
- Credit
- NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)
About the Object
- Name
- OJ 287
- Type
- Star > Evolutionary Stage > Black Hole
- Galaxy > Activity > AGN
- Distance
- 4,400,000,000 Light Years
- Redshift
- 0.30560
Black Hole Disk Flare in Galaxy OJ 287
This artwork shows two massive black holes in the OJ 287 galaxy. The smaller black hole orbits the larger one, which remains stationary and is surrounded by a disk of gas. When the smaller black hole crashes through the disk, it produces a flare brighter than 1 trillion stars. But the smaller black hole's orbit is elongated and moving relative to the disk, causing the flares to occur irregularly.
Related Media
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News Release Spitzer Telescope Reveals the Precise Timing of a Black Hole Dance ssc2020-11 |
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Image Black Hole Disk Flare in Galaxy OJ 287 ssc2020-11a |
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Image Sizes of Black Holes in Galaxy OJ 287 Relative to the Solar System ssc2020-11b |
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Video Animation of Orbiting Black Holes in Galaxy OJ 287 ssc2020-11v1 |
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Video Simulation of Black Hole Disk Flares in Galaxy OJ 287 ssc2020-11v2 |