Astronomers used a trio of X-ray telescopes, NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, Swift Gamma Ray Burst Explorer, and ESA’s XMM-Newton, to observe a tidal disruption event called ASASSN-14li. The black hole located in the center of PGC 043234, a galaxy that lies about 290 million light years from Earth, tore a star apart. While the black hole starts swallowing material, some of the stellar debris is flung outward at high speeds. Called “tidal disruption”, this event causes a distinct X-ray flare that can last for a few years.
Credit:
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
NASA/CXC/U. Michigan/J. Miller et al.
NASA/CXC/M. Weiss
