Baku. 28 August. REPORT.AZ/ The nearest quasar to Earth was most likely generated by two gravitationally bound supermassive black holes, according to the findings published by the Astrophysical Journal, Report informs citing Sputniknews.
Using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers have managed to find that Markarian 231 (Mrk 231), the nearest galaxy to Earth to contain a quasar, is powered by two supermassive black holes whirling about each other, the Astrophysical Journal reported.
Scientists said that the black holes fell into orbit about one another as a result of the merger between a pair of galaxies.
As for Mrk 231, it is located a safe 600 million light-years away from Earth.
Gravitational objects orbiting each other generate huge amounts of energy that makes quasars which lie at the core of their host galaxies, outshine the glow of their billions of stars.