The galaxy NGC 6240 was found to have three supermassive black holes

In a research finding by European Southern Observatory using the Very Large Telescope in Chile, astronomers have found that there is a galaxy that has three supermassive black holes which are surprisingly set very close to one another. The galaxy which has been named the NGC 6240 is at a distance of 300 million light-years away has a very unusual shape which was a major source of interest from the astronomic standpoint. It is being contemplated that the three balck holes will merge over a period of time.

"Up until now, such a concentration of three supermassive black holes had never been discovered in the universe. The present case provides evidence of a simultaneous merging process of three galaxies along with their central black holes.If, however, simultaneous merging processes of several galaxies took place, then the largest galaxies with their central supermassive black holes were able to evolve much faster," said Peter Weilbacher, study author at the Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam.

Black holes are a major source of energy that powers up the entire galaxy. In the beginning it was believed that NGC 6240 had only two black holes, but after further observation astronomers have discovered the third one. They are hopeful that this new information will give further knowledge about the origin and evolution of galaxies.