A new study conducted at Columbia University and published in Nature found evidence of a coming collision between two black holes in the Virgo constellation, which exists three-and-a-half billion light years away from our solar system, according to Gizmodo. Scientists suspected a coming collision, as reported by HNGN, and this study confirms these suspicions. When they eventually do collide, something that will occur in approximately 100,000 years, the collision will send ripples across the galaxy.
"Some people think these systems are always going to be hung up at large separations," said Zoltan Haiman, senior author of the study. "Our study is important because it shows that, yes, black holes can reach very small distances from each other."
The black holes continue to grow in brightness, something that will occur every five years due to the light emitted from the discs that swing around them, according to The New York Times.
If scientists ever get to witness the collision of two black holes, the gravitational waves released could hold information about many of the universe's mysteries.
"Watching this process reach its culmination can tell us whether black holes and galaxies grow at the same rate, and ultimately test a fundamental property of space-time: its ability to carry vibrations called gravitational waves, produced in the last, most violent, stage of the merger," said Haiman.
Daniel D'Orazio, lead author of the study, echoed his sentiments.
"The detection of gravitational waves lets us probe the secrets of gravity and test Einstein's theory in the most extreme environment in our universe - black holes," he said. "Getting there is a holy grail of our field."
