Scientists discover largest black hole flare

Scientists have detected the largest and most distant black hole flare, one with the power of 10 trillion suns.

Astronomers using the Zwicky Transient Facility discovered the flare erupting from the supermassive black hole at the heart of an active galactic nucleus, a central region of a galaxy that is dominated by feeding black holes.

The black hole is located at the heart of a galaxy 10 billion light-years from Earth and feeds on surrounding gas and dust whirling around it in a flattened cloud shape.

This flare, however, was the result of an unusually large star getting too close to the black hole, which has a mass 500 million times greater than the sun. The gravitational force of the black hole is ripping the star apart, and the remains are fed to the black hole.

The flare was first spotted in 2018 and at its peak was 30 times brighter than any other black hole flare spotted, emitting the energy equivalent of 10 trillion suns.

It is continuing to fade as researchers explain that the black hole is still swallowing the star, which is estimated to have had an initial mass 30 times larger than the sun.