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Discovery of 'black hole triple' may be first direct evidence of 'gentle' black hole formation

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2024-10-26 18:30:05

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Many black holes detected to date appear to be part of a pair. These binary systems comprise a black hole and a secondary object—such as a star, a much denser neutron star, or another black hole—that spiral around each other, drawn together by the black hole's gravity to form a tight orbital pair.

Now a surprising discovery about the black hole V404 Cygnus is expanding the picture of black holes, the objects they can host, and the way they form.

In a study appearing in Nature, physicists at MIT and Caltech report that they have observed a "black hole triple" for the first time.

The new system holds a central black hole in the act of consuming a small star that's spiraling in very close to the black hole, every 6.5 days—a configuration similar to most binary systems. But surprisingly, a second star appears to also be circling the black hole, though at a much greater distance. The physicists estimate this far-off companion is orbiting the black hole every 70,000 years.