AfterTek

A star in a galaxy 4 billion light-years away, was pulled from its normal orbit and eaten by a black hole. For the past two years, scientists have monitored the dramatic events of the star, residing in a galaxy in the Bootes constellation.

Scientists used NASA’s Galaxy Evolution Explorer, an orbiting telescope sensitive to two bands of ultraviolet wave lengths, to this event.

This is the first time that we’ve actually been able to monitor the flare of radiation from such an event in detail. Only once every 10,000 years will a star pass close enough to a (galaxy’s) central black hole to be ripped apart and swallowed in this manner.

It is believed that super-massive black holes are located at the core of every galaxy. For example, the Milky Way galaxy in which our solar system resides has a dormant super-massive black hole at its center.

Scientists said in this case the unfortunate star strayed a bit too close to the black hole deep inside the galaxy, and was mutilated by the force of its gravity. They believe that parts of the star swirled around and then plunged into the black hole, which sent out the bright ultraviolet flare that the satellite detected.

Scientists continue to use the telescope to observe the ultraviolet light as it fades while the black hole snacks on the final table scraps from the devoured star.