Issue
Astronomers have captured the moment a supermassive black hole shredded a star the size of our Sun.
Background
Scientists were able to monitor light flaring from the process, known as a tidal disruption event, from a black hole just over 215 million light years Earth using telescopes from the European Southern Observatory (ESO).
Details
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They observed the star being physically torn apart as it was sucked into the black hole's giant maw.
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When a star strays too close to a supermassive black hole, it is subjected to the phenomenal strength of the black hole's gravity.
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The star can be physically torn apart and its matter pulled into long strings, a process known as “spaghettification”.
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When these forces exceed the star's cohesive force, the star loses pieces that rush into the black hole.
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This exceptional influx of matter produces intense electromagnetic emissions, which last for several months while the debris is digested.
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While other tidal disruption events have previously been observed, the powerful burst of light they emit are often obscured by a curtain of dust and debris.
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Because they discovered the event just a short time after the star was ripped apart the team were able to pinpoint how the obscuring debris forms.
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The discovery would help scientists to better understand how matter behaves in the extreme gravity environments surrounding supermassive black holes.