Black Hole Destroys Star, Goes After Another, NASA Missions Find
NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory discovered a supermassive black hole in AT2019qiz tearing apart a star, linking tidal disruption events to quasi-periodic eruptions, enhancing understanding of black hole environments and gravitational wave detection.
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NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, along with other telescopes, has made a significant discovery regarding a supermassive black hole in the galaxy AT2019qiz, located approximately 210 million light-years from Earth. The black hole has been observed tearing apart a star and using the resulting debris to impact another star or a smaller black hole. This phenomenon, known as a tidal disruption event (TDE), was first identified in 2019. The study suggests a connection between TDEs and quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs), which are brief bursts of X-rays associated with supermassive black holes. Researchers propose that QPEs may occur when an object collides with the disk of material created by the TDE. Observations from Chandra and Hubble in 2023 revealed that the disk had expanded sufficiently to allow for potential collisions with orbiting objects, leading to eruptions approximately every 48 hours. This research enhances the understanding of the environments surrounding supermassive black holes and could aid in identifying more QPEs, which may be crucial for future gravitational wave observatories. The findings are detailed in a paper published in the journal Nature on October 9, 2024.
- A supermassive black hole in AT2019qiz has destroyed a star and is impacting another object with the debris.
- The study connects tidal disruption events (TDEs) with quasi-periodic eruptions (QPEs).
- Observations indicate that the disk of material around the black hole allows for frequent eruptions.
- The research enhances understanding of supermassive black hole environments.
- Findings may assist in future gravitational wave detection efforts.
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1 commentsMaximum hype, complete with artist's concepts. It's hard to believe that this is the website of an astrophysics project, but it is.
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