Rare double black hole galaxy reveals bright flare of light.

Astronomers have confirmed that the galaxy OJ 287, located 5 billion light-years away from Earth, is a binary system with two black holes at its core. The two black holes send out different kinds of electromagnetic signals, allowing astronomers to untangle their respective identities. The binary system produces flares that occur when one black hole dives through the other's accretion disk, creating dramatic flashes of energy across the electromagnetic spectrum. During recent observations, researchers saw two even more dramatic, and far shorter-lived, flares from the binary system, directly confirming the existence of the two black holes.