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Recoiling black holes could move at nearly one-tenth the speed of light

The cosmic sinkholes gain speed from being kicked by gravitational waves

An illustration of the convergence of two black holes and yellow gravitational waves rippling through space.

The convergence of two black holes will send gravitational waves rippling through space (illustrated). If moving predominately in a single direction, those waves can shoot the newly unified black hole into space at high speed.

C. Henze/NASA

By Nikk Ogasa

Collisions between black holes can launch newly melded cosmic sinkholes at speeds up to nearly one-tenth the speed of light, researchers report August 18 in Physical Review Letters.