Astronomers are debating what triggered an explosion of light in a galaxy 200 million like years away that was 10 to 100 times brighter than a typical supernova.
Detailed analysis of gravitational wave data collected last year indicating the merger of two neutron stars shows the result was a single massive neutron star, not a black hole.
For the first time, astronomers have directly witnessed the aftermath of a black hole consuming a nearby star, imaging the formation and expansion of a high-speed jet of material ejected in the maelstrom.
Black holes devouring nearby stars generate a variety of effects, but a new model suggests what is seen on Earth depends on the hole’s orientation and the viewing angle. Surveys are planned to search for more such tidal disruption events.