Scientists Study Two Giant Black Holes Orbiting Each Other 4 Billion Light-Years Away

A multi-institutional study coordinated by ARIES tracked OJ 287’s brightness and color over a decade, producing the most extensive optical dataset for the blazar. Observations clarified its 12-year double-peaked cycle, mapped the relative positions of two supermassive black holes, constrained the primary’s mass, and improved understanding of emission mechanisms and multimessenger prospects for this rare binary system.