Black Hole Devours Star, Unleashing Most Powerful Flare Ever Recorded
By Rachel Kim, World-Today-News.com – November 8, 2023
Astronomers have witnessed a cosmic spectacle of unprecedented scale: a supermassive black hole consuming a star, resulting in the brightest and most energetic flare ever detected. The event,occurring in the galaxy J2245+3743,is rewriting our understanding of these dramatic “tidal disruption events” (TDEs) and offering a glimpse into the extreme physics governing the universe.
The extraordinary glow wasn’t caused by the typical accretion of gas around a black hole, but by the complete destruction of a star roughly 30 times the mass of our Sun. Drawn too close to the black hole – a behemoth 500 million times the Sun’s mass – the star was ripped apart by immense gravitational forces and swallowed whole. This violent process unleashed an amazing burst of energy.
“This is unlike any active galaxy nucleus we have ever seen,” explains Matthew Graham, a researcher at Caltech and leader of the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) team that made the initial discovery. “Energy data show that this object is both exceptionally distant and incredibly bright.”
A Flare 30 Times Brighter Than Any Previously Observed
First detected in 2018, the flare rapidly increased in brightness by a factor of 40 within months. At its peak,it shone 30 times brighter than any black hole flare previously recorded – equivalent to the combined power of ten trillion Suns. Remarkably, the effects of this cosmic feeding frenzy are still ongoing, as the black hole continues to consume the star’s remnants.
Adding to the intrigue is the phenomenon of cosmological time dilation. The extreme gravity surrounding the black hole warps spacetime, causing time to pass more slowly in its vicinity. “While 7 years pass here, only 2 years pass there,” researchers note, offering a stark illustration of the powerful effects of gravity on the fabric of the universe.
Rewriting Cosmic History
While approximately 100 TDEs have been observed to date, none have matched the intensity of this event. Detailed analysis using data from the WM Keck Observatory in Hawaii, conducted in 2023, confirmed the flare’s origin. Further confirmation came from NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) satellite, which demonstrated the energy was radiating equally in all directions, definitively ruling out a supernova.
This discovery suggests that many more such powerful flares may be hidden throughout the cosmos, awaiting detection. The ZTF team is currently re-analyzing ancient data in hopes of uncovering additional TDEs.
Looking ahead, the upcoming Vera C.Rubin Observatory promises to revolutionize our ability to observe these extreme events.Its advanced capabilities will allow astronomers to detect incredibly bright black hole flares with far greater frequency, ushering in a new era in our understanding of the dark and energetic universe.
Keywords: Black Hole, Tidal Disruption Event, TDE, Astronomy, Astrophysics, Galaxy J2245+3743, Zwicky Transient Facility, ZTF, WM Keck Observatory, NASA WISE, Cosmology, Time dilation, Vera C. Rubin Observatory.
