A powerful burst of energy recorded by astronomers in 2018 was caused by a black hole devouring a massive star. This is the conclusion reached by the authors of a study published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
In 2018, the ZTF wide-angle astronomical survey of the sky recorded a flare produced by the supermassive black hole J2245+3743. Its mass exceeds that of the Sun by 500 million times, and it is located in the centre of a galaxy 10 billion light-years from Earth.
The flare amazed scientists with its characteristics. In just a few months, its brightness increased 40 times and at its peak was 30 times brighter than any previous black hole flare observed to date. At its maximum brightness, it shone with the power of 10 trillion Suns.
To determine what could have caused such a dramatic burst of energy, researchers carefully examined a list of possible causes and concluded that the most likely candidate was a tidal disruption event. This phenomenon occurs when the gravity of a supermassive black hole tears apart a star that comes too close and gradually absorbs it as it spirals toward its event horizon.
If the J2245+3743 flare is the result of tidal disruption, scientists estimate that it absorbed a star at least 30 times the mass of our Sun. Under normal circumstances, it would have ended its life as a supernova, but the black hole absorbed it first.
The most interesting thing is that the flare of black hole J2245+3743 is still ongoing. This suggests that the star has not yet been completely swallowed up. Scientists liken this to a fish that is only halfway through a whale’s throat.
It is worth noting that the previous record holder — an event nicknamed Scary Barbie — was 30 times less intense. It is believed that another black hole absorbed a star whose mass was between three and ten times that of the Sun.
According to Phys.org
