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Space
Space
Science
Robert Lea

1st triple black hole system discovered in 'happy accident'

Black Hole Earth MIT
A squashed orange sphere linked by a fine trail to an large orange swirl with a black center with a distant orange star in the background.

Astronomers have discovered the first "black hole triple" system, consisting of a black hole hungrily feeding on a companion star while being orbited by a more distant, cautious star. 

Black holes form during the violent death of massive stars in supernova explosions, but this surprising discovery could indicate a more gentle black hole birthing process called "direct collapse." That is because if the origin of this black hole had been more violent, it would have supplied a "pre-natal kick" that would have launched the loosely bound distant star out of this triple star system.

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