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In this simulation of two colliding black holes, two clusters of collisionless particles (which could be stars) approach each other close to the speed of light. Prior to collision and coalescence, each cluster undergoes collapse to a black hole. Each black hole event horizon (surface) is elongated due to the gravitational tidal force of the companion black hole. The two black holes quickly merge, and the merged event horizon, which engulfs all of the matter, soon becomes spherical and settles down to a single, Schwarzschild black hole with nearly twice the mass of each of the original clusters.
[Runtime: 0:12]

• MPEG (14.2 MB)
• Quicktime High Res (4.7 MB)
• Quicktime Low Res (2.4 MB)

This time lapse movie zooms into the inner region of M82. Of particular interest is the bright source off set from the center of the galaxy by about 600 light years. This source is seen to increase dramatically in intensity over a period of three months, then declines. The peak intensity and variability, together with short-term flickering with a period of ten minutes, are strong evidence that the source is a black hole with the mass of more than 500 suns.
(Credit: NASA/SAO/CXC/D.Berry)