4C +37.11 or Galaxy 0402+379 is a radio galaxy and elliptical galaxy featuring binary supermassive black holes with the least separation of any directly observed binaries, as of 2006. The separation between the two is 24 light-years or 7.3 parsecs, with an orbital period of 30,000 years. The two supermassive black holes, about 750 million light years from earth, have a combined mass of about 15 billion M☉.[3]
| 4C +37.11 | |
|---|---|
| Observation data (J2000 epoch) | |
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Right ascension | 04h 05m 49.2s[1] |
| Declination | +38° 03′ 32″[1] |
| Redshift | 16,500 ± 300 km/s[1] |
| Distance | 750 Mly (230 Mpc) [2] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 17.2[1] |
| Characteristics | |
| Type | Sy[1] |
| Other designations | |
| GLXY J0405+380, B2 0402+37, 2MASX J04054928+3803320, RX J0405.8+3803, PGC 2820486 | |
Other supermassive binary black hole candidates suggest the smaller separation distances expected as they eventually merge, but have not been confirmed. For example, quasar OJ 287 is inferred to have a binary supermassive black hole pair with an orbital period of 12 years, and thus be much closer together. However these have not been directly measured and additional observation, possibly over extended time periods, is needed.
The eventual collision of the pair, which should stay apart for at least a few million more years, would result in strong gravitational waves.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "NASA/IPAC Extragalactic Database". Results for 0402+379. Retrieved 26 November 2006.
- ^ "Scientists Find Closest Pair of Supermassive Black Holes". PhysOrg.com. Retrieved 15 March 2008.
- ^ a b Klesman, Alison (29 June 2017). "Astronomers spot a pair of orbiting supermassive black holes". Astronomy Magazine.
- VLBA Reveals Closest Pair of Supermassive Black Holes (UNM Today) 2 May 2006
- A Compact Supermassive Black-Hole Binary System Archived 16 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine (Los Alamos National Laborator - LANL)
External links
edit- Black Hole Pair Sets Proximity Record (SPACE.com) 1 May 2006 02:04 pm ET
- Two black holes come oh-so-close (MSNBC) 5:23 p.m. ET 1 May 2006
- Colossal black holes seen in closest clinch yet (New Scientist) 16:02 21 April 2006
- A Supermassive Black Hole Pairing (Centauri Dreams)
- Scientists Find Closest Pair of Supermassive Black Holes (PhysOrg.com) 1 May 2006
- VLBA Reveals Closest Pair of Supermassive Black Holes (SpaceRef.com) Monday, 1 May 2006
- Closest-spaced giant black hole pair found (SpaceFlight Now) 1 May 2006
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