{ "id": 13831, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13831/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "NASA Visualization Probes the Doubly Warped World of Binary Black Holes", "description": "Explore how the extreme gravity of two orbiting supermassive black holes distorts our view. In this visualization, disks of bright, hot, churning gas encircle both black holes, shown in red and blue to better track the light source. The red disk orbits the larger black hole, which weighs 200 million times the mass of our Sun, while its smaller blue companion weighs half as much. Zooming into each black hole reveals multiple, increasingly warped images of its partner. Watch to learn more. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. PowellMusic: \"Gravitational Field\" from Orbit. Written and produced by Lars Leonhard.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Supermassive_BlackHole_Binary_Still.jpg (3840x2160) [726.7 KB] || Supermassive_BlackHole_Binary_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [18.9 KB] || Supermassive_BlackHole_Binary_Still_thm.png (80x40) [2.5 KB] || 13831_BlackHoleBinary_Simulation_1080.webm (1920x1080) [23.8 MB] || 13831_BlackHoleBinary_Simulation_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [234.7 MB] || 13831_BlackHoleBinary_Simulation_4k.mp4 (3840x2160) [348.3 MB] || 13831_BlackHoleBinary_Simulation_4k_Best.mp4 (3840x2160) [936.6 MB] || 13831_BlackHoleBinary_Simulation_ProRes_3840x2160_30.mov (3840x2160) [4.1 GB] || 13831_BlackHoleBinary_Simulation_4k_Best.mp4.hwshow [137 bytes] || ", "release_date": "2021-04-15T13:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2025-06-06T05:28:16.115955-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 379138, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/Supermassive_BlackHole_Binary_Still_searchweb.png", "filename": "Supermassive_BlackHole_Binary_Still_searchweb.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Explore how the extreme gravity of two orbiting supermassive black holes distorts our view. In this visualization, disks of bright, hot, churning gas encircle both black holes, shown in red and blue to better track the light source. The red disk orbits the larger black hole, which weighs 200 million times the mass of our Sun, while its smaller blue companion weighs half as much. Zooming into each black hole reveals multiple, increasingly warped images of its partner. Watch to learn more. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. PowellMusic: \"Gravitational Field\" from Orbit. Written and produced by Lars Leonhard.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.", "width": 320, "height": 180, "pixels": 57600 }, "main_video": null, "main_credits": { "Visualizations by": [ { "name": "Jeremy Schnittman", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] }, "progress": "Complete", "media_groups": [ { "id": 317678, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13831/#media_group_317678", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Explore how the extreme gravity of two orbiting supermassive black holes distorts our view. In this visualization, disks of bright, hot, churning gas encircle both black holes, shown in red and blue to better track the light source. The red disk orbits the larger black hole, which weighs 200 million times the mass of our Sun, while its smaller blue companion weighs half as much. Zooming into each black hole reveals multiple, increasingly warped images of its partner. Watch to learn more.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell

Music: \"Gravitational Field\" from Orbit. Written and produced by Lars Leonhard.

Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.

Complete transcript available.

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The movie traces how the black holes distort and redirect light emanating from the maelstrom of hot gas – called an accretion disk – that surrounds each one.

Viewed from near the orbital plane, each accretion disk takes on a characteristic warped look. But as one passes in front of the other, the gravity of the foreground black hole transforms its partner into a rapidly changing sequence of arcs. These distortions play out as light from the accretion disks navigates the tangled fabric of space and time near the black holes.

The simulated binary contains two supermassive black holes, a larger one with 200 million solar masses and a smaller companion weighing half as much. Astronomers think that in binary systems like this, both black holes could maintain accretion disks for millions of years.

The disks have different colors, red and blue, to make it easier to track the light sources, but the choice also reflects reality. Gas orbiting lower-mass black holes experiences stronger effects that produce higher temperatures. For these masses, both accretion disks would actually emit most of their light in the UV, with the blue disk reaching a slightly higher temperature.

Visualizations like this help scientists picture the fascinating consequences of extreme gravity’s funhouse mirror.

Seen nearly edgewise, the accretion disks look noticeably brighter on one side. Gravitational distortion alters the paths of light coming from different parts of the disks, producing the warped image. The rapid motion of gas near the black hole modifies the disk’s luminosity through a phenomenon called Doppler boosting – an effect of Einstein’s relativity theory that brightens the side rotating toward the viewer and dims the side spinning away.

The visualization also shows a more subtle phenomenon called relativistic aberration. The black holes appear smaller as they approach the viewer and larger when moving away.

These effects disappear when viewing the system from above, but new features emerge. Both black holes produce small images of their partners that circle around them each orbit. Looking closely, it’s clear that these images are actually edge-on views. To produce them, light from the black holes must be redirected by 90 degrees, which means we’re observing the black holes from two different perspectives – face on and edge on – at the same time. Zooming into each black hole reveals multiple, increasingly distorted images of its partner.

The visualization, created by astrophysicist Jeremy Schnittman at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, involved computing the path taken by light rays from the accretion disks as they made their way through the warped space-time around the black holes. On a modern desktop computer, the calculations needed to make the movie frames would have taken about a decade. So Schnittman teamed up with Goddard data scientist Brian P. Powell to use the Discover supercomputer at the NASA Center for Climate Simulation. Using just 2% of Discover’s 129,000 processors, these computations took about a day.

Astronomers expect that, one day, they’ll be able to detect gravitational waves – ripples in space-time – produced when two supermassive black holes in a system much like the one Schnittman depicted spiral together and merge.", "items": [], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 317679, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13831/#media_group_317679", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "In this visualization, available in HD and 4K, a binary system containing two supermassive black holes and their accretion disks is initially viewed from above. After about 25 seconds, the camera tips close to the orbital plane to reveal the most dramatic distortions produced by their gravity. The different colors of the accretion disks make it easier to track where light from each black hole turns up.

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Powell", "width": 4096, "height": 4096, "pixels": 16777216 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 317680, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13831/#media_group_317680", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "A face-on view of the system highlights the smaller black hole's distorted image (inset) of its bigger companion. To reach the camera, the smaller black hole must bend light from its red companion by 90 degrees. In this secondary image, the accretion disk forms a line, which means we're seeing an edge-on view of the red companion – while also simultaneously seeing it from above. A secondary image of the blue disk can be seen just outside the bright ring of light nearest the larger black hole, too.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "items": [ { "id": 221896, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379151, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Face-on_Full.jpg", "filename": "BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Face-on_Full.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "A face-on view of the system highlights the smaller black hole's distorted image (inset) of its bigger companion. To reach the camera, the smaller black hole must bend light from its red companion by 90 degrees. In this secondary image, the accretion disk forms a line, which means we're seeing an edge-on view of the red companion – while also simultaneously seeing it from above. A secondary image of the blue disk can be seen just outside the bright ring of light nearest the larger black hole, too. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 4294, "height": 3119, "pixels": 13392986 } }, { "id": 221897, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379152, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Face-on_Full.png", "filename": "BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Face-on_Full.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "A face-on view of the system highlights the smaller black hole's distorted image (inset) of its bigger companion. To reach the camera, the smaller black hole must bend light from its red companion by 90 degrees. In this secondary image, the accretion disk forms a line, which means we're seeing an edge-on view of the red companion – while also simultaneously seeing it from above. A secondary image of the blue disk can be seen just outside the bright ring of light nearest the larger black hole, too. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 4294, "height": 3119, "pixels": 13392986 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 317681, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13831/#media_group_317681", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Viewing the system from above and centering the camera on the smaller black hole shows how the secondary image of its partner rotates every orbit. Although subtle, the motion also reveals the non-circular shape of the surrounding rings of light and the inner edge of the blue accretion disk, a distortion produced by the combined effects of gravity and near-lightspeed orbital motion.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "items": [ { "id": 221901, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379153, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/FaceOn_Inset_Still.jpg", "filename": "FaceOn_Inset_Still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Viewing the system from above and centering the camera on the smaller black hole shows how the secondary image of its partner rotates every orbit. Although subtle, the motion also reveals the non-circular shape of the surrounding rings of light and the inner edge of the blue accretion disk, a distortion produced by the combined effects of gravity and near-lightspeed orbital motion.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 2048, "height": 2048, "pixels": 4194304 } }, { "id": 221898, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379156, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBInary_Inset_ProRes_2048x2048_30.mov", "filename": "BlackHoleBInary_Inset_ProRes_2048x2048_30.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Viewing the system from above and centering the camera on the smaller black hole shows how the secondary image of its partner rotates every orbit. Although subtle, the motion also reveals the non-circular shape of the surrounding rings of light and the inner edge of the blue accretion disk, a distortion produced by the combined effects of gravity and near-lightspeed orbital motion.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 2048, "height": 2048, "pixels": 4194304 } }, { "id": 221899, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379154, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/frames/2048x2048_1x1_30p/", "filename": "2048x2048_1x1_30p", "media_type": "Frames", "alt_text": "Viewing the system from above and centering the camera on the smaller black hole shows how the secondary image of its partner rotates every orbit. Although subtle, the motion also reveals the non-circular shape of the surrounding rings of light and the inner edge of the blue accretion disk, a distortion produced by the combined effects of gravity and near-lightspeed orbital motion.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 2048, "height": 2048, "pixels": 4194304 } }, { "id": 221900, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379155, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBInary_Inset_2kmp4.mp4", "filename": "BlackHoleBInary_Inset_2kmp4.mp4", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Viewing the system from above and centering the camera on the smaller black hole shows how the secondary image of its partner rotates every orbit. Although subtle, the motion also reveals the non-circular shape of the surrounding rings of light and the inner edge of the blue accretion disk, a distortion produced by the combined effects of gravity and near-lightspeed orbital motion.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 2048, "height": 2048, "pixels": 4194304 } }, { "id": 221902, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379157, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBInary_Inset_2kmp4.webm", "filename": "BlackHoleBInary_Inset_2kmp4.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Viewing the system from above and centering the camera on the smaller black hole shows how the secondary image of its partner rotates every orbit. Although subtle, the motion also reveals the non-circular shape of the surrounding rings of light and the inner edge of the blue accretion disk, a distortion produced by the combined effects of gravity and near-lightspeed orbital motion.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 2048, "height": 2048, "pixels": 4194304 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 317682, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13831/#media_group_317682", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This image shows the warped view of a larger supermassive black hole (red disk) when it passes almost directly behind a companion black hole (blue disk) with half its mass. The gravity of the foreground black hole transforms its partner into a surreal collection of arcs. These distortions play out as light from the accretion disks navigates the tangled fabric of space and time near the black holes.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell", "items": [ { "id": 221903, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379159, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/8k_Lensing_8k.png", "filename": "8k_Lensing_8k.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This image shows the warped view of a larger supermassive black hole (red disk) when it passes almost directly behind a companion black hole (blue disk) with half its mass. The gravity of the foreground black hole transforms its partner into a surreal collection of arcs. These distortions play out as light from the accretion disks navigates the tangled fabric of space and time near the black holes.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell", "width": 8192, "height": 8192, "pixels": 67108864 } }, { "id": 221904, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379158, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/Binary_Lensing_8k.jpg", "filename": "Binary_Lensing_8k.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This image shows the warped view of a larger supermassive black hole (red disk) when it passes almost directly behind a companion black hole (blue disk) with half its mass. The gravity of the foreground black hole transforms its partner into a surreal collection of arcs. These distortions play out as light from the accretion disks navigates the tangled fabric of space and time near the black holes.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell", "width": 8192, "height": 8192, "pixels": 67108864 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 317683, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13831/#media_group_317683", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "This image shows the warped view of a larger supermassive black hole (red disk) when it passes seen almost directly behind a companion black hole (blue disk) with half its mass. The gravity of the foreground black hole transforms its partner into a surreal collection of arcs. Insets highlight areas where one black hole produces a complete but distorted image of the other. Light from the accretion disks produces these self-similar images as it travels through the tangled fabric of space and time near both black holes.

High-resolution views of the numbered insets are available below.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell", "items": [ { "id": 221905, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379160, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Full.jpg", "filename": "BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Full.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This image shows the warped view of a larger supermassive black hole (red disk) when it passes seen almost directly behind a companion black hole (blue disk) with half its mass. The gravity of the foreground black hole transforms its partner into a surreal collection of arcs. Insets highlight areas where one black hole produces a complete but distorted image of the other. Light from the accretion disks produces these self-similar images as it travels through the tangled fabric of space and time near both black holes.High-resolution views of the numbered insets are available below.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell", "width": 15000, "height": 9000, "pixels": 135000000 } }, { "id": 221906, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379161, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Full.png", "filename": "BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Full.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This image shows the warped view of a larger supermassive black hole (red disk) when it passes seen almost directly behind a companion black hole (blue disk) with half its mass. The gravity of the foreground black hole transforms its partner into a surreal collection of arcs. Insets highlight areas where one black hole produces a complete but distorted image of the other. Light from the accretion disks produces these self-similar images as it travels through the tangled fabric of space and time near both black holes.High-resolution views of the numbered insets are available below.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell", "width": 15000, "height": 9000, "pixels": 135000000 } }, { "id": 221907, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379162, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Half.jpg", "filename": "BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Half.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This image shows the warped view of a larger supermassive black hole (red disk) when it passes seen almost directly behind a companion black hole (blue disk) with half its mass. The gravity of the foreground black hole transforms its partner into a surreal collection of arcs. Insets highlight areas where one black hole produces a complete but distorted image of the other. Light from the accretion disks produces these self-similar images as it travels through the tangled fabric of space and time near both black holes.High-resolution views of the numbered insets are available below.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell", "width": 7500, "height": 4500, "pixels": 33750000 } }, { "id": 221908, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379163, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Half.png", "filename": "BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Half.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This image shows the warped view of a larger supermassive black hole (red disk) when it passes seen almost directly behind a companion black hole (blue disk) with half its mass. The gravity of the foreground black hole transforms its partner into a surreal collection of arcs. Insets highlight areas where one black hole produces a complete but distorted image of the other. Light from the accretion disks produces these self-similar images as it travels through the tangled fabric of space and time near both black holes.High-resolution views of the numbered insets are available below.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell", "width": 7500, "height": 4500, "pixels": 33750000 } }, { "id": 221909, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379164, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Quarter.jpg", "filename": "BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Quarter.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This image shows the warped view of a larger supermassive black hole (red disk) when it passes seen almost directly behind a companion black hole (blue disk) with half its mass. The gravity of the foreground black hole transforms its partner into a surreal collection of arcs. Insets highlight areas where one black hole produces a complete but distorted image of the other. Light from the accretion disks produces these self-similar images as it travels through the tangled fabric of space and time near both black holes.High-resolution views of the numbered insets are available below.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell", "width": 3750, "height": 2250, "pixels": 8437500 } }, { "id": 221910, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379165, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Quarter.png", "filename": "BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Quarter.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This image shows the warped view of a larger supermassive black hole (red disk) when it passes seen almost directly behind a companion black hole (blue disk) with half its mass. The gravity of the foreground black hole transforms its partner into a surreal collection of arcs. Insets highlight areas where one black hole produces a complete but distorted image of the other. Light from the accretion disks produces these self-similar images as it travels through the tangled fabric of space and time near both black holes.High-resolution views of the numbered insets are available below.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell", "width": 3750, "height": 2250, "pixels": 8437500 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 317684, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13831/#media_group_317684", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Unlabeled version of the image above.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "items": [ { "id": 221911, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379166, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Unlabeled_Full.jpg", "filename": "BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Unlabeled_Full.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Unlabeled version of the image above.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 15000, "height": 9000, "pixels": 135000000 } }, { "id": 221912, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379167, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Unlabeled_Half.jpg", "filename": "BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Unlabeled_Half.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Unlabeled version of the image above.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 7500, "height": 4500, "pixels": 33750000 } }, { "id": 221913, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379168, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Unlabeled_Half.png", "filename": "BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Unlabeled_Half.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Unlabeled version of the image above.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 7500, "height": 4500, "pixels": 33750000 } }, { "id": 221914, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379169, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Unlabeled_Quarter.jpg", "filename": "BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Unlabeled_Quarter.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Unlabeled version of the image above.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 3750, "height": 2250, "pixels": 8437500 } }, { "id": 221915, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379170, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Unlabeled_Quarter.png", "filename": "BlackHoleBinarySimulation_Insets_Unlabeled_Quarter.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Unlabeled version of the image above.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 3750, "height": 2250, "pixels": 8437500 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 317685, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13831/#media_group_317685", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Inset 1 from the compilation above, showing an image of the smaller companion formed near the light ring of the larger black hole.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "items": [ { "id": 221916, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379172, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/Binary_Inset_1.jpg", "filename": "Binary_Inset_1.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Inset 1 from the compilation above, showing an image of the smaller companion formed near the light ring of the larger black hole.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 4096, "height": 4096, "pixels": 16777216 } }, { "id": 221917, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379171, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/Binary_Inset_1.png", "filename": "Binary_Inset_1.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Inset 1 from the compilation above, showing an image of the smaller companion formed near the light ring of the larger black hole.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 4096, "height": 4096, "pixels": 16777216 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 317686, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13831/#media_group_317686", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Inset 2 from the compilation above, showing a highly distorted image of the smaller companion formed by the larger black hole.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "items": [ { "id": 221918, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379174, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/Binary_Inset_2.png", "filename": "Binary_Inset_2.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Inset 2 from the compilation above, showing a highly distorted image of the smaller companion formed by the larger black hole.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 4096, "height": 4096, "pixels": 16777216 } }, { "id": 221919, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379173, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/Binary_Inset_2.jpg", "filename": "Binary_Inset_2.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Inset 2 from the compilation above, showing a highly distorted image of the smaller companion formed by the larger black hole.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 4096, "height": 4096, "pixels": 16777216 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 317687, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13831/#media_group_317687", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Inset 3 from the compilation above, showing even more distorted images of both accretion disks, formed by light deflecting multiple times between the two black holes.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "items": [ { "id": 221920, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379175, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/Binary_Inset_3.png", "filename": "Binary_Inset_3.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Inset 3 from the compilation above, showing even more distorted images of both accretion disks, formed by light deflecting multiple times between the two black holes.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 4096, "height": 4096, "pixels": 16777216 } }, { "id": 221921, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379176, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/Binary_Inset_3.jpg", "filename": "Binary_Inset_3.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Inset 3 from the compilation above, showing even more distorted images of both accretion disks, formed by light deflecting multiple times between the two black holes.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 4096, "height": 4096, "pixels": 16777216 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 317688, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13831/#media_group_317688", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Inset 4 from the compilation above, showing another warped image of the smaller companion formed by the larger black hole.

Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "items": [ { "id": 221922, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379178, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/Binary_Inset_4.png", "filename": "Binary_Inset_4.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Inset 4 from the compilation above, showing another warped image of the smaller companion formed by the larger black hole.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 4096, "height": 4096, "pixels": 16777216 } }, { "id": 221923, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 379177, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013800/a013831/Binary_Inset_4.jpg", "filename": "Binary_Inset_4.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Inset 4 from the compilation above, showing another warped image of the smaller companion formed by the larger black hole.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman and Brian P. Powell ", "width": 4096, "height": 4096, "pixels": 16777216 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 317689, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13831/#media_group_317689", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "For More Information", "caption": "", "description": "See [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/new-nasa-visualization-probes-the-light-bending-dance-of-binary-black-holes](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2021/new-nasa-visualization-probes-the-light-bending-dance-of-binary-black-holes)", "items": [], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "gms", "funding_sources": [ "NASA Astrophysics" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Visualizer", "people": [ { "name": "Jeremy Schnittman", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" }, { "name": "Brian Powell", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] }, { "role": "Science writer", "people": [ { "name": "Francis Reddy", "employer": "University of Maryland College Park" } ] } ], "missions": [], "series": [ "Astrophysics Features", "Astrophysics Simulations", "Astrophysics Stills", "Astrophysics Visualizations", "Narrated Movies" ], "tapes": [], "papers": [], "datasets": [], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Universe" ], "keywords": [ "4K", "Ast", "Astrophysics", "Binary", "Black Hole", "Simulation", "Space" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 14576, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14576/", "page_type": "Visualization", "title": "NASA Black Hole Visualization Takes Viewers Beyond the Brink", "description": "In this flight toward a supermassive black hole, labels highlight many of the fascinating features produced by the effects of general relativity along the way. This supercomputer visualization tracks a camera as it approaches, briefly orbits, and then crosses the event horizon — the point of no return — of a supersized black hole similar in mass to the one at the center of our galaxy. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman and B. PowellMusic: “Tidal Force,” Thomas Daniel Bellingham [PRS], Universal Production Music“Memories” from Digital Juice“Path Finder,” Eric Jacobsen [TONO] and Lorenzo Castellarin [BMI], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || 14576_BHPlunge_Explain_Still.jpg (3840x2160) [1.2 MB] || 14576_PageThumbnail.jpg (3840x2160) [1.2 MB] || 14576_PageThumbnail_searchweb.png (180x320) [85.0 KB] || 14576_PageThumbnail_thm.png (80x40) [9.6 KB] || 14576_BHPlunge_Explainer_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [319.5 MB] || 14576_BHPlunge_Explainer_Captions.en_US.srt [2.5 KB] || 14576_BHPlunge_Explainer_Captions.en_US.vtt [2.4 KB] || 14576_BHPlunge_Explainer_4k.mp4 (3840x2160) [1.5 GB] || 14576_BHPlunge_Explainer_4kYouTube.mp4 (3840x2160) [3.0 GB] || 14576_BHPlunge_Explainer_ProRes_3840x2160_2997.mov (3840x2160) [12.8 GB] || ", "release_date": "2024-05-06T13:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2025-12-01T17:34:33.372012-05:00", "main_image": { "id": 1091869, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014500/a014576/14576_PageThumbnail_searchweb.png", "filename": "14576_PageThumbnail_searchweb.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "In this flight toward a supermassive black hole, labels highlight many of the fascinating features produced by the effects of general relativity along the way. This supercomputer visualization tracks a camera as it approaches, briefly orbits, and then crosses the event horizon — the point of no return — of a supersized black hole similar in mass to the one at the center of our galaxy. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman and B. PowellMusic: “Tidal Force,” Thomas Daniel Bellingham [PRS], Universal Production Music“Memories” from Digital Juice“Path Finder,” Eric Jacobsen [TONO] and Lorenzo Castellarin [BMI], Universal Production MusicWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available.", "width": 180, "height": 320, "pixels": 57600 } }, { "id": 14132, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/14132/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Black Hole Week: Black Hole GIFs", "description": "Black Hole WeekThis page provides social media assets used during previous celebrations of Black Hole Week. Join in! Below, you'll find many GIFs to use. || ", "release_date": "2022-04-12T00:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T11:44:14.472149-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 372070, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a014100/a014132/BHW_BH_GIF_Thumbnail.jpg", "filename": "BHW_BH_GIF_Thumbnail.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Thumbnail", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } }, { "id": 13326, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/13326/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Black Hole Accretion Disk Visualization", "description": "This movie shows a complete revolution around a simulated black hole and its accretion disk following a path that is perpendicular to the disk. The black hole’s extreme gravitational field redirects and distorts light coming from different parts of the disk, but exactly what we see depends on our viewing angle. The greatest distortion occurs when viewing the system nearly edgewise. As our viewpoint rotates around the black hole, we see different parts of the fast-moving gas in the accretion disk moving directly toward us. Due to a phenomenon called \"relativistic Doppler beaming,\" gas in the disk that's moving toward us makes that side of the disk appear brighter, the opposite side darker. This effect disappears when we're directly above or below the disk because, from that angle, none of the gas is moving directly toward us.When our viewpoint passes beneath the disk, it looks like the gas is moving in the opposite direction. This is no different that viewing a clock from behind, which would make it look like the hands are moving counter-clockwise.CORRECTION: In earlier versions of the 360-degree movies on this page, these important effects were not apparent. This was due to a minor mistake in orienting the camera relative to the disk. The fact that it was not initially discovered by the NASA scientist who made the movie reflects just how bizarre and counter-intuitive black holes can be! Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman || BH_Accretion_Disk_Sim_360_4k_Prores.00001_print.jpg (1024x1024) [33.2 KB] || BH_Accretion_Disk_Sim_360_4k_Prores.00001_searchweb.png (320x180) [17.0 KB] || BH_Accretion_Disk_Sim_360_4k_Prores.00001_thm.png (80x40) [1.9 KB] || BH_Accretion_Disk_Sim_360_1080.mp4 (1080x1080) [19.0 MB] || BH_Accretion_Disk_Sim_360_1080.webm (1080x1080) [2.8 MB] || 360 (3840x3840) [0 Item(s)] || BH_Accretion_Disk_Sim_360_4k.mp4 (3840x3840) [119.2 MB] || BH_Accretion_Disk_Sim_360_4k_Prores.mov (3840x3840) [1020.1 MB] || ", "release_date": "2019-09-25T13:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2024-08-14T22:44:35.426607-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 392576, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a013300/a013326/BH_Accretion_Disk_Sim_360_4k_Prores.00001_print.jpg", "filename": "BH_Accretion_Disk_Sim_360_4k_Prores.00001_print.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "This movie shows a complete revolution around a simulated black hole and its accretion disk following a path that is perpendicular to the disk. The black hole’s extreme gravitational field redirects and distorts light coming from different parts of the disk, but exactly what we see depends on our viewing angle. The greatest distortion occurs when viewing the system nearly edgewise. As our viewpoint rotates around the black hole, we see different parts of the fast-moving gas in the accretion disk moving directly toward us. Due to a phenomenon called \"relativistic Doppler beaming,\" gas in the disk that's moving toward us makes that side of the disk appear brighter, the opposite side darker. This effect disappears when we're directly above or below the disk because, from that angle, none of the gas is moving directly toward us.When our viewpoint passes beneath the disk, it looks like the gas is moving in the opposite direction. This is no different that viewing a clock from behind, which would make it look like the hands are moving counter-clockwise.CORRECTION: In earlier versions of the 360-degree movies on this page, these important effects were not apparent. This was due to a minor mistake in orienting the camera relative to the disk. The fact that it was not initially discovered by the NASA scientist who made the movie reflects just how bizarre and counter-intuitive black holes can be! Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Jeremy Schnittman", "width": 1024, "height": 1024, "pixels": 1048576 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }