Astronomers have captured the first radio image of two supermassive black holes orbiting each other, inside the bright quasar OJ287 about 5 billion light-years away in Cancer. The long-sought snapshot, made by combining Earth-based radio dishes with the RadioAstron satellite, delivers resolution roughly 100,000 times sharper than typical optical images and provides the clearest evidence yet for binary black holes. The images match decades of predictions for OJ287’s 12-year cycle and reveal a twisting jet from the smaller black hole that should wag as the pair continue their cosmic dance.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.