Scientists have measured the largest merger of two black holes ever. The merger has created a new, even larger black hole 10 billion light-years from Earth.
The collision between the two black holes was already observed in 2023. At that time, strong shock waves were measured, which were caused by the collision. These so-called gravitational waves are so strong that they can distort space and time.
Scientists have now confirmed that during that collision, two black holes merged into a new black hole. The new object is as heavy as 225 suns.
The merging of two black holes into a new black hole has been observed before, but never on such a large scale. The previous ‘record holder’ was about 142 times as heavy as our sun. It is possible that the two black holes that have now merged are both the result of an earlier merger.
The heavier an object is, the greater the gravity. Black holes have such a strong gravitational field that nothing can escape from it, not even light. It is therefore unknown what exactly happens inside a black hole.
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