Hey cosmic explorers! 🚀 Ever wondered what happens when a black hole goes on a major binge? Well, scientists just spotted the most energetic flare ever from a supermassive black hole1—and it's mind-blowing!
This monster black hole, packing a mass 300 million times that of our Sun, shredded and swallowed a huge star around 11 billion light-years away. At its peak, the flare was 10 trillion times brighter than the Sun. Yeah, you read that right. 🤯
Picture this: the star wandered too close, got "spaghettified"1—stretched into a thin stream by crazy gravity—and then spiraled into oblivion. As the stellar debris spiraled around, it heated up and lit up the universe in a spectacular cosmic fireworks show.
Researchers think the star was a heavyweight, at least 30 to maybe 200 times the Sun's mass. These giants are rare, like finding a vintage vinyl in a digital world. They probably grew big by gobbling bits of gas circling the black hole before getting too close.
Telescopes across California, Arizona, and Hawaii were on the case. They tracked the flare brightening by 40×, peaking in mid-2018, and still slowly fading. The whole drama could run for about 11 years—an interstellar binge-watch, so to speak. 🎬✨
Why it matters? Beyond the wow factor, these observations help us understand how black holes feast and grow—and what they leave behind. It's like unlocking secret levels in your favorite game but on a cosmic scale.
Stay tuned for more updates as this epic flare cools down. Until then, keep looking up—there's a whole universe of stories out there! 🌟
Reference(s):
Star-eating black hole unleashes record-setting energetic flare
cgtn.com
