| [00:00:00.07] | [Music] |
| [00:00:05.16] | This computer simulation shows two supermassive black holes orbiting each other. |
| [00:00:11.27] | It's helping scientists learn what kind of light a real black hole binary system might produce. |
| [00:00:17.49] | [Music] |
| [00:00:21.60] | An outer ring of gas surrounds the whole system, |
| [00:00:24.72] | and a mini disk surrounds each black hole. |
| [00:00:27.84] | Streams of gas connect the disks. |
| [00:00:30.97] | [Music] |
| [00:00:34.06] | Magnetic and gravitational forces heat up the gas, |
| [00:00:38.20] | Producing UV and X-ray light |
| [00:00:47.40] | [Music] |
| [00:00:49.47] | The amount of gas flowing in the system |
| [00:00:53.55] | and our viewing angle |
| [00:00:57.53] | [Music] |
| [00:01:00.64] | can alter what we'll see. |
| [00:01:03.77] | [Music] |
| [00:01:05.93] | Intense gravity bends space-time. |
| [00:01:10.00] | The light follows a warped path and is distorted, as with a lens. |
| [00:01:15.11] | [Music] |
| [00:01:22.29] | This also creates an "eyebrow" next to one black hole |
| [00:01:27.35] | caused by light from glowing gas immediately outside the other. |
| [00:01:32.43] | [Music] |
| [00:01:34.60] | Scientists haven't yet seen a supermassive black hole merger, |
| [00:01:40.76] | but simulations like this are preparing them for what they'll find. |
| [00:01:46.88] | [Music] |
| [00:01:53.01] | [Music] |
| [00:01:59.21] | NASA Astrophysics |
| [00:02:03.23] | [Beeping] |
| [00:02:07.41] | [Beeping] |