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Scientists have managed to observe a supermassive black hole eating a star for the vert first time. They have also seen the huge blast of matter that was thrown out by this violent cosmic event. It seems that a team of researchers have finally managed to follow and watch the formation and expansion of the quick jet of material that gets thrown out as the gravity of a supermassive black hole catches a star and destroys it by tearing it apart. In order to be able to watch this impressive event, they used highly-advanced telescopes.
At the center of a pair of colliding galaxies called Arp 299, a star twice as big as our sun came a bit too close to a huge black hole, about 20 million times bigger than the sun. naturally, it got shredded to pieces and ended up as a powerful blast that was sent across the universe. It’s worth noting that this was the first time in history that experts managed to watch this event happening. Scientists have long theorized about the existence of this special event, but they never got to see it for themselves, until now.
A supermassive black hole ripped apart a star
There are many galaxies out there that also have supermassive black holes. They can draw stars inside and form an enormous disk around their outsides as they do that. However, for most of the time, these huge black holes are quiet and peaceful.
So, this violent event that scientists have finally seen does not happen too often, which makes it even more impressive and special. It could also offer an insight into what actually happens in the vicinity of a black hole. So, when this happen, a unique opportunity arrives, and experts must profit in any way they can. This is what also happened now.
Image source: wikimedia
