Massive Black Hole Shreds Passing Star
This artist’s rendering illustrates new findings about a star shredded by a black hole. When a star wanders too close to a black hole, intense tidal forces rip the star apart. In these events, called “tidal disruptions,” some of the stellar debris is flung outward at high speed while the rest falls toward the black hole. This causes a distinct X-ray flare that can last for a few years. NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, Swift Gamma-ray Burst Explorer, and ESA/NASA’s XMM-Newton collected different pieces of this astronomical puzzle in a tidal disruption event called ASASSN-14li, which was found in an optical search by the All-Sky Automated Survey for Supernovae (ASAS-SN) in November 2014. The event occurred near a supermassive black hole estimated to weigh a few million times the mass of the sun in the center of PGC 043234, a galaxy that lies about 290 million light-years away. Astronomers hope to find more events like ASASSN-14li to test theoretical models about how black holes affect their environments.
During the tidal disruption event, filaments containing much of the star's mass fall toward the black hole. Eventually these gaseous filaments merge into a smooth, hot disk glowing brightly in X-rays. As the disk forms, its central region heats up tremendously, which drives a flow of material, called a wind, away from the disk.
-
1:27:38
Russell Brand
5 hours agoREACTION: Trump’s PACKED Madison Square Garden Rally + Rogan Interview BREAKS THE INTERNET - SF479
139K301 -
1:51:40
Nerdrotic
4 hours ago $23.30 earnedVenom 3 REVIEW | Hollywood is LOSING Hollywood - Nerdrotic Nooner 438
48.4K9 -
59:58
The Dan Bongino Show
7 hours agoThe Mother Of All Rallies (Ep. 2359) - 10/28/2024
817K4.61K -
1:45:32
The Shannon Joy Show
8 hours ago🔥🔥LIVE Exclusive With Governor Ron DeSantis! ELECTION WARNING - Soros Backed Ballot Amendments Are A Grave Threat To Our Representative Republic & Democracy!!🔥🔥
46.7K14 -
1:18:14
Steven Crowder
7 hours agoDonald Trump’s Dark MAGA Nazi Rally & Exclusive Georgia Election Footage
417K759 -
2:29:22
Benny Johnson
6 hours agoI Was in The FRONT Row of Trump's Historic Madison Square Garden Rally | This Is The TRUTH...🇺🇸
116K191 -
1:21:56
Caleb Hammer
17 hours agoGold Digger Exploits Beta Husband | Financial Audit
59.3K9 -
2:03:42
LFA TV
9 hours agoTHE HOME STRETCH! | LIVE FROM AMERICA 10.28.24 11am EST
108K40 -
1:19:06
Graham Allen
8 hours agoTrump Holds HISTORIC MSG Rally! + Breaks The Internet On Joe Rogan!
146K203 -
1:42:36
Jeff Ahern
8 hours ago $20.02 earnedMonday Madness With Jeff Ahern
80.2K8