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15h ago

Astronomers Confirm First Triple Radio AGN in Merging Galaxy Trio

High-resolution VLA and VLBA imaging pinpointed compact synchrotron cores in each galaxy, confirming concurrent black hole activity.

Image
Three Supermassive Black Holes Discovered on Collision Course in a Cosmic First
An artist’s impression of a rare trio of merging galaxies, J121/1219+1035, which host three actively feeding, radio-bright supermassive black holes and whose jets light up the surrounding gas. Image credit: NSF / AUI / NRAO / P. Vosteen.

Overview

  • The system, J1218/1219+1035, lies about 1.2 billion light-years away and hosts three actively accreting, radio-bright supermassive black holes.
  • NSF’s VLA and VLBA resolved compact, non-thermal radio cores in all three nuclei, with spectra consistent with synchrotron emission and likely jet activity.
  • This is the first confirmed triple radio AGN and only the third known triple AGN system in the nearby Universe.
  • Observations show a dynamically interacting merger with tidal features and close nuclear separations that can funnel gas into the galactic centers.
  • Initially flagged in WISE mid-infrared data and only decisively confirmed in radio, the findings appear in The Astrophysical Journal Letters as teams plan multiwavelength follow-ups.