Previous observations have shown when two black holes spiral around each other and ultimately merge they generate ripples, or 'gravitational waves'. Lead author Professor Matthew Graham, project scientist at ZTF, said: "This supermassive black hole was burbling along for years before this more abrupt flare. They can be surrounded by a disc of flowing gas which contains swarms of stars and smaller black holes. (Image: ESA/Hubble & NASA)The flow of the gas helps to bring the smaller black holes together, enabling them to merge, and creates a larger black hole within the disk. "But in a supermassive black hole's disk, the flowing gas converts the mosh pit of the swarm to a classical minuet, organizing the black holes so they can pair up."

Source: Daily Mirror June 25, 2020 14:00 UTC