Scientists have photographed two black holes orbiting each other for the first time.

      The discovery confirmed the existence of paired black holes — previously scientists had only been able to observe solitary objects, the university reports.

      The statement also says that both black holes are located at the center of the quasar OJ287, situated in the northern part of the constellation Cancer. They complete a full orbit around each other in roughly 12 years.

      In the obtained image one can distinguish radio emission from both black holes and jets of particles — a kind of "cosmic tails" that they eject. Moreover, the smaller of the holes exhibited an unusual flow: it seems to "wag", changing direction depending on the object's speed and position. Scientists compared it to a "wagging tail".

      The image was taken using an international network of radio telescopes, including the RadioAstron satellite, which was at half the distance to the Moon. That arrangement made it possible to achieve record resolution — roughly 100,000 times higher than that of ordinary optical telescopes.

      According to one of the study's authors, Professor Mauri Valtonen, "this shot became the answer to a question that has tormented astronomers for more than 40 years — whether pairs of black holes exist in nature."