The black hole tears the star and absorbs the material very quickly
It shows how a supermassive black hole, located in a galaxy 290 million light years from Earth, breaks into pieces a star. "The black hole rips the star and absorbs the material very quickly," Jelle Kaastra, the author of a study published in Nature, says in a statement from Nasa, but that is not the end of the story. That rhythm by which it expels part of the material towards the outside. "
That material mentioned by Kaastra is the cloud that is seen in the video. The researchers found that some of the scattered remains of the star move away from the black hole, like the wind. Unfortunately not so fast as to be able to escape.
Events like this one, where a star interacts with a black hole, are called tidal disturbances, and can emit x-rays that scientists have been observing for years, though they still try to explain the mechanics of their formation. The studies of this type of events will allow to understand how the black holes operate and what is the safe distance to study them.
Credits: NASA Goddard