Merging Black Holes
A black hole is a massive object whose gravitational field is so intense that no light (electromagnetic radiation) can escape it. When two orbiting black holes merge, a massive amount of energy is released in the form of jets. Meanwhile, the movement of these massive bodies disturbs the fabric of space-time around them, sending ripples of gravitational waves radiating outward. These waves are predicted by Einstein's theory of general relativity, but have yet to be directly detected.
A closer look at the center of a spiral galaxy reveals a pair of black holes locked in a death spiral. When they merge, a massive amount of energy is released in the form of jets.
As two super-massive black holes spiral around each other and eventually merge, they create gravitational waves.
Credits
Please give credit for this item to:
NASA
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Animator
- Dana Berry (Skyworks Digital)
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Writer
- Michael McClare (HTSI)
Release date
This page was originally published on Tuesday, July 3, 2007.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, May 3, 2023 at 1:55 PM EDT.
Series
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- ID: 12539
![Music credit: "Stealth Car" by Tom Sue [GEMA] and Zac Singer [GEMA]; Ed. Berlin Production Music/Universal Publishing Production Music GmbH GEMA; Berlin Production Music; Killer Tracks Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.](/vis/a010000/a012500/a012539/hubble_rogue_black_hole_thumbnail2.png)
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