Supermassive Black Hole Flare Marks Record-Breaking Cosmic Event

“Scientists are studying the most powerful flare ever detected from a supermassive black hole, which a massive star triggered when it strayed too close and was torn apart.”

A Flare Brighter Than the Sun

The flare reached a peak brightness 10 trillion times greater than the Sun, emanating from a black hole roughly 300 million times the mass of the Sun. This celestial giant resides in a galaxy about 11 billion light-years away.

Supermassive black holes are incredibly dense objects whose gravity is so strong that even light cannot escape. The black hole involved in this event is far larger than the one at the center of our Milky Way, which has about four million times the Sun’s mass.

The Star Behind the Flare

Astronomers believe the flare was caused by a star between 30 and 200 times the mass of the Sun. “A collision or interaction with another massive body likely pushed the star dangerously close to the black hole, altering its orbit.”

“Caltech astronomer Matthew Graham, lead author of the study in Nature Astronomy, explained that something knocked the star onto an elliptical path that brought it within the black hole’s point of no return.“

Spaghettification and the Release of Energy

“As the star approached the black hole, the black hole’s gravity stretched and shredded it—a process scientists call spaghettification.” The resulting material spiraled inward, heating up and producing the observed flare. KE Saavik Ford, co-author of the study, noted that such massive stars are extremely rare, making this event particularly unusual.

Observing the Cosmic Phenomenon

“Researchers monitored the flare using telescopes in California, Arizona, and Hawaii. They ruled out other explanations, such as a supernova, black hole jets, or gravitational lensing, confirming that the consumption of the star indeed caused the flare.”

During the observation period, the flare brightened by a factor of 40, peaking in June 2018. It remains visible but gradually dimming, with scientists estimating the process will take approximately 11 years to complete.

A Window Into the Early Universe

Because light takes time to travel across the universe, astronomers observing this event are effectively looking back in time, witnessing phenomena from billions of years ago. This flare provides an unprecedented look at the interactions between supermassive black holes and massive stars in the early universe.