A “runaway” black hole shooting through the universe is like nothing ever seen, scientists have said.
The object first appeared as “scratches” on images from Nasa’s Hubble Space Telescope.
But scientists now believe that it is a black hole, thrown out of its home galaxy and tearing through the cosmos, leaving a trail of stars in its wake.
“We think we’re seeing a wake behind the black hole where the gas cools and is able to form stars. So, we’re looking at star formation trailing the black hole,” said Pieter van Dokkum of Yale University.
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“What we’re seeing is the aftermath. Like the wake behind a ship we’re seeing the wake behind the black hole.”
Read more: Independent