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Supermassive Black Holes Merge, Altering Stellar Motion

4/14/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Astronomers have found evidence of a recent merger between two supermassive black holes in NGC 4486B, in the Virgo Cluster.
The discovery, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, shows the black hole sits about 20 light-years from the center.
The merger produced a kick that drives stellar motions and creates two bright peaks in the nucleus, with the black hole moving at approximately 210 miles per second.

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Story summary

Astronomers have found evidence of a recent merger between two supermassive black holes in NGC 4486B, in the Virgo Cluster.
The discovery, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, shows the black hole sits about 20 light-years from the center.
The merger produced a kick that drives stellar motions and creates two bright peaks in the nucleus, with the black hole moving at approximately 210 miles per second.