Astronomers investigating the far depths of the universe have discovered two massive quasars on the verge of a massive collision that has already occurred, due to incredible astronomical distances – the image comes from the past. The two quasi-stellar radio sources exist (or rather were) in many galaxies that merged when the universe was about three billion years old, and therefore relatively young. The two objects appear to be separated by 10,000 light-years and their massive gravitational field is already devouring gas and dust at a speed that produces a kind of spectacular fireworks display.

This phenomenon was first identified by astronomers using the Gaia observation satellite, operated by the European Space Agency (ESA), and confirmed by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The use of other instruments on Earth made it possible to prove that they are distinct objects, and not two identical visions multiplied by gravitational distortions. This discovery has been published in the journal Nature.

The two quasars may have turned into a single supermassive black hole.