Record-Breaking Flare from Supermassive Black Hole Shines with the Light of 10 Trillion Suns
astronomers have observed the most energetic flare ever detected from a supermassive black hole, an event that briefly outshone 10 trillion suns.The findings, published Tuesday in Nature astronomy, detail a cataclysmic outburst originating from a black hole 11 billion light-years from Earth. Matthew Graham of the california Institute of Technology (Caltech) led the research.
The flare was likely triggered when a star, estimated to be 30 to 200 times the mass of the sun, ventured too close to the black hole and was torn apart. “However it happened, the star wandered close enough to the supermassive black hole that it was ‘spaghettified’ – that is, stretched out to become long and thin, due to the gravity of the supermassive black hole strengthening as you get very close to it. That material then spiralled around the supermassive black hole as it fell in,” explained study co-author KE Saavik Ford.
The black hole itself is approximately 300 million times the mass of our sun and resides within a distant galaxy. The event, first detected in 2018 by the Palomar Observatory operated by Caltech, peaked in brightness after about three months, becoming 30 times more luminous than any previously recorded flare of its kind. While still ongoing, the flare is diminishing and the entire process is expected to last approximately 11 years.
Almost all large galaxies, including the Milky Way, harbor a supermassive black hole at their center, though their formation remains a mystery. Observing such distant events provides scientists with a unique window into the early universe and aids in understanding black hole formation, their impact on surrounding stars, and the evolution of the cosmos.
