Three supermassive black holes have been discovered in the same galaxy

If black holes fascinate astronomers, it is mainly because of their power, but also because of the many mysteries surrounding them. And recently, researchers made an astonishing discovery by detecting three supermassive black holes in a single galaxy for the first time.

This galaxy is called J0148-4214 and is located about 12.5 billion light-years from Earth. In other words, it is believed to have formed shortly after the Big Bang, and we can see it as it looked 1.2 billion years after that event.

By studying this celestial object, researchers have detected two supermassive black holes at its center, 620 light-years apart. A third has also been detected, and it lies about 5,500 light-years from the center. In addition, their masses are estimated at 80 million, 0.6 million, and 2 million solar masses. And that's not all, because according to astronomers, the most massive black hole has a lower accretion rate than the least massive one. And on that subject, Dr. Giovanni Mazzolari, second author of the study and a researcher at MPE, explains: 

"The JWST data allowed us not only to identify the three black holes, but also to estimate their masses, accretion rates and the stellar mass of the galaxy. We find a total stellar mass of about 1.3 billion solar masses, and the black holes represent a significant fraction of that".

As for the fate of these black holes, the binary system at the center of the galaxy is expected to merge in several hundred million years. Regarding the third one, it may have resulted from a merger between two galaxies and appears to be moving toward the center of its host galaxy.