NASA astronomers capture images of galaxies and black holes en route to collision

Scientists have obtained images of black holes that are on the trajectory of the merger. This is reported by the Chandra X-ray Astronomical Center.

Both of these pairs of black holes are located in the center of dwarf galaxies. Black holes themselves cannot be seen, but due to powerful gravity, they attract a large amount of gas to themselves and heat it up, as a result of which it becomes noticeable in many ranges. The material surrounding black holes can heat up to millions of degrees, producing X-rays, which is why the Chandra X-ray orbital observatory was called in to observe. Eventually, a likely collision will cause both black holes and galaxies to merge.

The first of these pairs is located in the Abell 133 galaxy cluster, located 760 million light-years from Earth. The other is in the Abell1758S galaxy cluster, 3.2 billion light-years away. Both pairs are typical examples of galaxies in collision. The pair in Abell 133 appears to be in the late stages of merging and has a long tail created by tidal effects. The study authors named the pair “Mirabilis” after an endangered species of hummingbird known for its exceptionally long tails. Both galaxies have received the same name because the merger between them is almost complete.

The researchers named the galaxies of the Abell 1758S cluster “Elstir” and “Wintey” in honor of the heroes of Marcel Proust ‘s In Search of Lost Time . The researchers believe that these two galaxies were discovered in the early stages of a merger, resulting in a bridge of stars and gas connecting them.

The authors hope that such studies will shed light on the past of the Milky Way. It is believed that modern galaxies were formed by the merger of several dwarf ones.