"Record-breaking Discovery: Astronomers Measure Heaviest Black Hole Pair"

Astronomers have measured the heaviest pair of supermassive black holes ever found using data from the Gemini North telescope, estimating the binary's mass to be 28 billion times that of the Sun. This discovery supports the theory that the mass of a supermassive binary black hole plays a key role in stalling a potential merger. The binary, located within the elliptical galaxy B2 0402+379, has been stalled at a close distance for over three billion years, likely due to the depletion of stellar material needed to drive their merger. The study provides valuable insight into the formation of the binary system and the history of its host galaxy, shedding light on the dynamics of supermassive black hole mergers.