Black Hole’s Epic Feast: A Stellar Collision Captured by NASA
A colossal black hole has been observed devouring a star, scattering its remnants into adebris disk that now threatens a nearby celestial body – possibly another star or a smaller, previously safe black hole. This dramatic cosmic event, pieced together by observationsfrom NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, Hubble Space Telescope, NICER (Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer), Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory, and other telescopes, links two previously mysterious phenomena.
The image accompanying this article (AT2019qiz.jpg) showcases the dynamic process of the stellar collision and the expanding debris disk, as revealed by Chandra and Hubble data. (Source: X-ray: NASA/CXC/Queen’s Univ. Belfast/M. Nicholl et al.; Optical/IR: PanSTARRS, NSF/Legacy Survey/SDSS; Illustration: Soheb Mandhai /The Astro Phoenix; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. Walker)
The destructive power of the black hole was revealed when scientists detected a stellar collision at the galaxy’s core. A shredded star formed a swirling disk of debris, which now intersects the orbit of a second celestial body,triggering repeated X-ray bursts. This dramatic encounter, witnessed by multiple observatories, connects two cosmic puzzles: quasi-periodic outbursts and tidal disruption events (TDEs).
In 2019, astronomers detected the signal of a star venturing too close to a black hole, where it was ripped apart bythe immense gravitational forces. Its remains formed a swirling disk around the black hole – a stellar graveyard.
Over the past few years, this debris disk has expanded, now intersecting the orbit of another celestial body circling the black hole at what was once a safe distance. This body now passes through the debris every 48 hours, each collision generating an X-ray burst – a phenomenon captured by the Chandra telescope, providing astronomers with a rare view of the violent interactions around a black hole.
Matt Nicholl of Queen’s University Belfast, lead author of the study published in Nature, explains, In this analogy, thestar is like a diver, and the black hole is the pool. Each time the star hits the black hole’s surface, it produces a huge splash of gas and X-rays. As the star orbits the black hole, it does this again and again.
Scientists have documented numerous instances of celestial bodies gettingtoo close to black holes and being torn apart in a burst of light. Astronomers call these tidal disruption events. In recent years, astronomers have also discovered a new class of powerful flashes emanating from galactic centers, visible only in X-rays. This discovery provides crucial insights into the complex dynamics of black holes and theirinteractions with surrounding matter. The repeated X-ray bursts observed in this instance offer a unique opportunity to study the long-term consequences of TDEs and the behavior of matter within the intense gravitational field of a black hole. Further research is needed to fully understand the nature of the second celestial body and the long-term evolution of this system.
References:
- Nicholl, M. et al. (Year). Nature. (Specific article citation needed upon publication)
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