Galaxy OJ 287, located in the constellation of Cancer, has a binary black hole system at its core.
Supermassive black holes are present in the central regions of active galaxies. Astronomers study black holes by observing electromagnetic radiation emitted by the black hole consuming the material in the accretion disk – a swirling disk of gas, dust, and other celestial material surrounding a black hole.
The motion of the black holes in their orbit becomes apparent through a sequence of flares that occur when the second black hole periodically crosses the accretion disk of the primary black hole. These flares, lasting approximately two weeks, outshine a trillion stars in brightness.How flares helped them to detect the smaller black hole
Observational campaigns conducted in 2021 and 2022, led by Staszek Zola from the Jagiellonian University of Cracow in Poland, helped the team to observe the smaller black hole directly.
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