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Animation of Black Hole Disk Flare in OJ 287

April 28, 2020
This animation shows two massive black holes in the OJ 287 galaxy.

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This animation shows two massive black holes in the OJ 287 galaxy. The smaller black hole orbits the larger one, which remains stationary in the animation 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.

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  • Spitzer Space Telescope
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NASA/JPL-Caltech

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