Markarian 231 2021

The central engine is so bright that it outshines all the stars in the galaxy combined, making it a "quasar." The Heart of the Beast: A Binary Black Hole

The most groundbreaking discovery regarding Mrk 231 came from observations by the Hubble Space Telescope. While most galaxies have one central supermassive black hole, evidence suggests Mrk 231 may have two. markarian 231

These two giants orbit each other every 1.2 years. Scientists believe the smaller black hole is a "leftover" from one of the galaxies that merged to create Mrk 231. The central engine is so bright that it

This "feedback" process is actively choking the starburst region. As gas is expelled into intergalactic space, the galaxy is rapidly losing the raw material needed to form new stars. Mrk 231 is therefore a living snapshot of a key stage in galaxy evolution: the transition from a star-forming monster to a quiescent, "red and dead" elliptical galaxy. Scientists believe the smaller black hole is a

It provides a rare look at how supermassive black holes eventually merge, a process that generates massive gravitational waves.