Scientists have observed for the first time the death of a star being devoured by a black hole at a record distance of 215 million light years. This is reported in an article published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
The tidal erosion event (TDE), designated AT2019qiz, was discovered in September 2019. It occurs when a star gets too close and begins to explode due to powerful gravity, emitting a bright flash of light that is subtle due to the dust cloud. The flare is the result of gravitational effects on material and friction of matter, while the material of the star is heated to such high temperatures that it can eclipse the parent galaxy for some time.
Researchers have observed TDE at several wavelengths of light, including ultraviolet, radio, optical, and X-ray ranges. This made it possible to calculate the mass of the star, which turned out to be equal to the Sun, but because of the black hole, half of the mass was lost. At the same time, scientists have shown that a dust cloud and a bright flash are the consequences of one process.
Earlier this year, scientists confirmed that some of the debris from the destroyed star is turning into a stream of material that falls into the black hole in the form of an accretion disk.
