What happens when a dying star flies too close to a supermassive black hole? Astronomers discover a bright optical flare caused by a dying star’s encounter with a supermassive black hole.
According to University of Maryland astronomer Igor Andreoni, several things happen: first, the star is violently ripped apart by the black hole’s gravitational tidal forces — similar to how the Moon pulls tides on Earth but with greater strength. Then, pieces of the star are captured into a swiftly spinning disk orbiting the black hole. Finally, the black hole consumes what remains of the doomed star in the disk. This is what astronomers call a tidal disruption event (TDE).
But in some extremely rare cases, the supermassive black ho...
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