Astronomers Discover Closest-Ever Pair of Supermassive Black Holes on Collision Course

The black holes, located in the colliding galaxy MCG-03-34-64, are just 300 light-years apart and provide a rare chance to study the final stages of cosmic mergers.

The pair of supermassive black holes were detected using the Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-ray Observatory.
Located about 800 million light-years from Earth, the black holes are within the gas-rich galaxy MCG-03-34-64.
This discovery offers a unique opportunity to observe the interactions and eventual merging of supermassive black holes in a nearby galaxy.
The black holes are expected to collide in approximately 100 million years, emitting gravitational waves that could be detected by future observatories.
The findings contribute to our understanding of galaxy evolution and the role of black hole mergers in shaping the cosmos.