Supermassive Black Holes Destroy Massive Stars in Explosions

Astronomers have recently observed rare events where supermassive black holes at the centers of distant galaxies violently consume massive stars. These outbursts release more energy than 100 supernovae combined and shine brightly for months, offering new insights into the hidden activity of these cosmic giants.

Supermassive black holes are usually silent and invisible unless they interact with nearby matter. When a star, three to ten times heavier than the Sun, comes too close, the black hole’s gravity tears it apart. This causes a bright flare that lasts about 250 days, lighting up space like a beacon.

Scientists call these events extreme nuclear transients. They show how dormant black holes suddenly become highly active, releasing large amounts of high-energy radiation. This energy can affect the galaxy around the black hole and change its environment.

One of the events, nicknamed “Barbie,” was detected in 2020 by the Zwicky Transient Facility in California. Two other similar events were discovered by the European Space Agency’s Gaia mission in 2016 and 2018. Observations from NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory confirmed these were caused by black holes feeding on stars, not by supernova explosions.

NASA’s WISE spacecraft, which observed the sky in infrared wavelengths, helped reveal the dusty regions around these black holes. Ground-based observatories such as the W. M. Keck Observatory and surveys like ATLAS, Pan-STARRS, and Catalina also contributed by detecting the chemical signals of these energetic events.

These findings expand scientists’ understanding of the universe’s most energetic environments. The research was supported by NASA’s FINEST grant, which allowed detailed study and tracking of these rare cosmic outbursts.