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Space
Space
Science
Robert Lea

'The beacons were lit!' Scientists name merging supermassive black holes after 'Lord of the Rings' locations

Black Hole
A screenshot from a simulation of colliding supermassive black holes.

When the beacons were lit in "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King," the city of Gondor called to Rohan for aid, spelling doom for Sauron and his legions. However, when the beacons of supermassive black hole systems named for these locations in J.R.R. Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" novels were lit up, it was exceptionally good news for scientists.

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