Overview

• A peer-reviewed Astrophysical Journal study reports a radio image identifying two distinct jets that the team interprets as two orbiting supermassive black holes in OJ287.
• The image relies on space–Earth very long baseline interferometry that included the RadioAstron satellite, delivering roughly 100,000 times the resolution of optical observations.
• Researchers tie the features to OJ287’s longstanding 12-year brightness cycle and estimate the black holes at about 18 billion and 150 million solar masses.
• The team identifies a twisted, “wagging tail” jet from the smaller companion and predicts observable changes in its direction as the orbit progresses in coming years.
• NASA’s TESS had previously detected light from both components without resolving them, and current Earth-only arrays lack the RadioAstron-era baselines used for this image.