Basically, my question is the title. If a black hole crosses the Roche limit of another black hole, what happens?

For a hypothetical example, let’s say you have a two black holes: one at 5 solar masses and one at 300 solar masses. If the smaller black hole crosses the Roche limit of the larger what happens? Does they simply merge? Would the event horizon of one or both black hole’s be geometrically distorted in some way or retain their spherical shape?

  • @TachyonTele@lemm.ee
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    41 month ago

    I’d love to watch an actual scientist tackle this question. Without an answer from a professional there isn’t an answer.

    • @FourPacketsOfPeanuts
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      1 month ago

      FWIW the Wikipedia page on the first detection a few times quotes the research papers that they do “merge”. A process whose completeness seems emphasised by the subsequently detected ripples that decay to nothing which they call the “ringdown”.

      But yes, explanation by a professional would be fantastic

      • @TachyonTele@lemm.ee
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        1 month ago

        That’s pretty cool.
        Supposedly tomorrow all the planets are going to line up at night. If you enjoy science and stuff look up for that.