Public domain
Animation of Black Hole Disk Flare in OJ 287
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This animation shows two massive black holes in the OJ 287 galaxy. The smaller black hole orbits the larger one, which remains stationary in the animation and is surrounded by a disk of gas. When the smaller black hole crashes through the disk, it produces a flare brighter than 1 trillion stars. But the smaller black hole's orbit is elongated and moving relative to the disk, causing the flares to occur irregularly.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineAnimation of Black Hole Disk Flare in OJ 287. NASA/JPL, 2020-04-28. Public domain. ID: PIA23687.
