Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Latest Breaking News

Showing Original Post only (View all)

riversedge

(74,231 posts)
Thu Jul 7, 2016, 01:13 AM Jul 2016

Astronomers capture supermassive black hole as it eats passing star [View all]

Source: cnn




Astronomers capture supermassive black hole as it eats passing star

By James Griffiths, CNN

Updated 10:32 PM ET, Wed July 6, 2016




Rendering shows jets of particles ejected as a star is consumed by a black hole.



(CNN)A star, caught in the grips of a supermassive black hole.
The immense gravity slowly strips the stellar material from its parent, forming a disc of gas around the black hole as it converts gravitational energy into electromagnetic radiation, producing a bright source of light visible on multiple wavelengths.

.....................

See black hole shred passing star 00:57

An international team of astronomers, led by Jun Yang at Sweden's Chalmers University of Technology, used the European VLBI Network (EVN) to study the event known as Swift J1644+57.


First discovered in 2011, Swift J1644+57 is a supermassive black hole slowly swallowing a star. Or rather, was, the galaxy in which the incredible astronomical event is taking place is so far away its light takes 3.9 billion years to reach Earth.

As the ancient star was sucked into the black hole, Yang says it produced jets of light and particles equivalent to the size "of a 2 euro coin on the Moon as seen from Earth." ............

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/06/health/black-hole-star-radio-telescope/index.html



I am always fascinated by what we are able to know --or not know about about our universes.
21 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
That's awesome. Separation Jul 2016 #1
We are born of this star dust...humbling thought. Surya Gayatri Jul 2016 #2
True story GummyBearz Jul 2016 #9
K&R JohnnyRingo Jul 2016 #3
If we CAPTURED it.... Night Watchman Jul 2016 #4
Alerting. This is not Late Breaking News! JustABozoOnThisBus Jul 2016 #5
Isn't it amazing that something that happened so long ago is just now reaching us NWCorona Jul 2016 #13
heheheh you made me laugh. PersonNumber503602 Jul 2016 #18
The good news is that star came out the other side no worse for wear... Blue_Tires Jul 2016 #6
What I don't understand: bvar22 Jul 2016 #7
From what I understand Separation Jul 2016 #8
To put in into a somewhat more human and familiar scale, imagine a meteor hurtling towards Earth. cemaphonic Jul 2016 #10
Quantum mechanics stimulates that if a reaction is possible the opposite is also possible NWCorona Jul 2016 #15
Didn't this happen like 7,000,000 years ago? rug Jul 2016 #11
It-the event- is taking 3.9 billion years for its light to travel to earth. I do not riversedge Jul 2016 #12
Heh, in astronomical tems it's still LBN. rug Jul 2016 #19
Clever! riversedge Jul 2016 #20
wonder if black holes burp after dining. ChairmanAgnostic Jul 2016 #14
Supposedly the upper limit is 10 billion times the mass of the sun. NWCorona Jul 2016 #16
the thing about the big bang that always confused me ChairmanAgnostic Jul 2016 #17
Light Can't Escape From Black Holes november3rd Jul 2016 #21
Latest Discussions»Latest Breaking News»Astronomers capture super...