Astronomers observe three supermassive black holes merging 1.2 billion light-years away

Astronomers have discovered a rare triple merger of galaxies, each containing an actively feeding supermassive black hole, approximately 1.2 billion light-years away. This system, named J1218/1219+1035, is the third triple-AGN identified and the first where all three black holes are emitting jets as they consume surrounding matter. The staggered nature of this merger and the simultaneous activity of all three black holes offer a unique opportunity to study galactic and black hole evolution.