Home / Science / Massive Star Consumed by Black Hole in Cosmic Dance of Death
Massive Star Consumed by Black Hole in Cosmic Dance of Death
14 Aug
Summary
- Massive star and black hole in binary system
- Black hole distorted and siphoned off star's material before supernova
- AI algorithm first detected the explosion
According to the article, astronomers have documented a rare and calamitous event that occurred approximately 700 million light-years from Earth. They have observed what appears to be a new type of supernova, where a massive star, at least 10 times the size of our Sun, was in a binary system with a black hole of similar mass.
As the distance between the two celestial bodies gradually narrowed, the black hole's immense gravitational pull distorted the star, stretching it out from its spherical shape and siphoning off its material. This process continued in a "death spiral" until the star ultimately met its explosive finale, releasing more energy in a second than the Sun has across its entire lifetime.
Interestingly, an artificial intelligence algorithm designed to detect unusual cosmic events was the first to identify the beginnings of this explosion, allowing astronomers to immediately follow up with comprehensive observations. The researchers are still uncertain about the exact mechanism that caused the supernova, but they believe the black hole's distortion of the star played a crucial role in triggering the event.
This discovery provides new insights into how some stars can meet their demise, with their fates dramatically impacted by the presence of a black hole companion. It showcases the complex and sometimes calamitous interactions that can occur in binary star systems.
