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More Evidence for Coming Black Hole Collision (total mass > a billion suns)
NYTimes ^ | 9/16/15 | Dennis Overbye

Posted on 09/22/2015 9:34:46 AM PDT by LibWhacker

The apocalypse is still on, apparently — at least in a galaxy about 3.5 billion light-years from here.

Last winter, a team of Caltech astronomers reported that two supermassive black holes appeared to be spiraling together toward a cataclysmic collision that could bring down the curtains in that galaxy.

The evidence was a rhythmic flickering from the galaxy’s nucleus, a quasar known as PG 1302-102, which Matthew Graham and his colleagues interpreted as the fatal mating dance of a pair of black holes with a total mass of more than a billion suns. Their merger, the astronomers calculated, could release as much energy as 100 million supernova explosions, mostly in the form of violent ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves that would blow the stars out of that hapless galaxy like leaves off a roof.

(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Science
KEYWORDS: black; blackhole; blackholecollision; blackholes; collision; galaxy; gravitationalwave; gravitationalwaves; hole; pg1302102; quasar; supermassive
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To: LibWhacker

Considering the distance from our little near empty spiral arm outskirts location in our galaxy the collision already happened, about 3.5 billion years ago. The news (light) is just reaching us now. It will interesting to see if there’s a resulting visible-with-the-naked-human-eye light show from that other galaxy having gone phtttt-kaboom!!! Based on what was observed when light from the Crab Nebula explosion reached Earth, it might be quite spectacular.


41 posted on 09/22/2015 11:19:59 AM PDT by katana (Just my opinions)
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To: ShadowAce

Space, ostensibly a very light and ethereal thing, is very, very difficult to bend or get waving.


42 posted on 09/22/2015 11:20:37 AM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: mlo

It’s all relative.


43 posted on 09/22/2015 12:17:28 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum (Is the Pope Catholic?)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Yup that was mentioned in the article.


44 posted on 09/22/2015 12:18:36 PM PDT by Behind the Blue Wall
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To: LibWhacker
Their merger, the astronomers calculated, could release as much energy as 100 million supernova explosions, mostly in the form of violent ripples in space-time known as gravitational waves that would blow the stars out of that hapless galaxy like leaves off a roof.

Oh no, run!

45 posted on 09/22/2015 12:21:22 PM PDT by RansomOttawa (tm)
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To: LibWhacker

Bitchin’.

Too bad we cannot figure how to surf those waves.


46 posted on 09/22/2015 12:22:52 PM PDT by Vermont Lt
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To: 353FMG

Hadn’t even thought of it that way.......but I’m sure the lefties would agree with you.......


47 posted on 09/22/2015 12:47:11 PM PDT by Arlis ( A "Sacred Cow" Tipping Christian)
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To: LibWhacker
The apocalypse is still on, apparently — at least in a galaxy about 3.5 billion light-years from here.

So this happened as long ago as 3.5 billion years?

48 posted on 09/22/2015 2:05:26 PM PDT by pgkdan (But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.)
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To: pgkdan

Correct.


49 posted on 09/22/2015 2:15:42 PM PDT by LibWhacker
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To: Cats Pajamas
Michelle is speaking?

"Ceterum censeo 0bama esse delendam."

Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)

LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)

50 posted on 09/22/2015 5:11:36 PM PDT by LonePalm (Commander and Chef)
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