Astronomers See Another Star Torn Apart By a Black Hole
SOURCE: SLASHDOT • 2012-05-02
TOPICS:
Supermassive Black Holes • Black Holes • Galaxies • Star
The Bad Astronomer writes A star in a galaxy 2.7 billion light years away wandered too close to a supermassive black hole and suffered the ultimate fate: it was literally torn apart by the black hole's gravity. The event was seen as a flash of ultraviolet light flaring 350 times brighter than the galaxy itself, slowly fading over time. Astronomers were able to determine that some of the star's material was eaten by the black hole, and some flung off into space. Although rare, this is the sec... read more »