Uploaded August 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
New research indicates that when supermassive black holes are on a collision course, they can achieve speeds up to 1/10th the speed of light, roughly 63 million mph (102 million km/h). This "maximum possible recoil velocity" arises when black holes are on the verge of either merging or diverging. Using supercomputers, researchers simulated black hole interactions based on Einstein's general relativity. LIGO's observations of black hole collisions highlighted elliptical trajectories, debunking the prior belief of near-circular orbits. This finding has expanded our understanding of potential collision events and may have profound implications for our comprehension of fundamental physics.
Subscribe to Science Time: youtube.com/sciencetime24
New research indicates that when supermassive black holes are on a collision course, they can achieve speeds up to 1/10th the speed of light, roughly 63 million mph (102 million km/h). This "maximum possible recoil velocity" arises when black holes are on the verge of either merging or diverging. Using supercomputers, researchers simulated black hole interactions based on Einstein's general relativity. LIGO's observations of black hole collisions highlighted elliptical trajectories, debunking the prior belief of near-circular orbits. This finding has expanded our understanding of potential collision events and may have profound implications for our comprehension of fundamental physics.
Subscribe to Science Time: youtube.com/sciencetime24
