Scientists Discovery of First of Its Kind 'Triple Black Hole' Leaves Them Baffled as They Had No Idea It Could Even Exist

Scientists have captured a unique celestial body, that has put to question all previously known information regarding black holes. Physicists at MIT and Caltech, recently announced that they have observed a triple black hole, LAD Bible reported.

Before this finding, experts knew that black holes always appear in pairs. All their theories about black holes were created around this assumption. Findings regarding the cosmic discovery have been published in Nature.

Black Holes

Black holes have been considered one of the most mysterious cosmic objects found in space, NASA reported. They are essentially huge concentrations of matter packed into very tiny spaces. The black hole is so dense, that not even light can escape from it. Black holes typically come with one other object, LADBible reported.

The celestial object and the black hole keep orbiting around each other. This object could be a star or another black hole. Black holes can't emit or reflect light, and hence are difficult to locate by telescopes, according to NASA. Scientists find them by observing the behavior of objects around them.

'Black Hole Triple'

Physicists at MIT and Caltech have named the discovery 'Black Hole Triple,' LADBible reported. The experts captured a central black hole in space, that was very close to consuming a star and were taken aback when they noted another star in the vicinity of this black hole.

This other star was at a much greater distance than the previous one. As per estimates by scientists, the second star is orbiting the black hole every 70,000 years. This black hole's ability to influence a star at such a faraway distance has further stumped the experts.

Formation of 'Black Hole Triple'

The physicists believe that the triple system came into being because of a process they have termed "direct collapse," MIT reported. They believe the star simply caved in on itself, and there was no dramatic blast like the supernova. Hence, the pull between the second object and the black hole remained, resulting in a triple system. If the assertion is true, then it puts into question the general belief held by scientists regarding the formation of black holes.  

Consequences of the Discovery

Researchers are ecstatic about this discovery, as it provides a push for more research about black hole formation, LADBible reported. The team hopes that more studies will focus on the incidents that occur during the formation, after this new development.

"We think most black holes form from violent explosions of stars, but this discovery helps call that into question," says study author Kevin Burdge, a Pappalardo Fellow in the MIT Department of Physics. "This system is super exciting for black hole evolution, and it also raises questions of whether there are more triples out there."

One thing the team is sure about is that the triple system is no coincidence. "We’re seeing two stars that are following each other because they’re attached by this weak string of gravity," Burdge explained. He believes that this implies that more such unique systems could be present in space.