black hole eating a star

This was the first time such a spectacle had been seen in history. Scientists at Johns Hopkins University in the US have reported sightings of a star being "devoured" by a supermassive (million times more massive than the Sun) black hole. According to models developed by astrophysicists, this phenomenon is accompanied by a strong flash of matter ejected from the scene at a speed close to the speed of light.

Details of the discovery are presented in the latest issue of the journal Science. The scientists used observations from three instruments: NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Swift Gamma Ray Burst Explorer, and the European Space Agency's (ESA) XMM-Newton Observatory.

This phenomenon was designated by the index ASASSN-14li. Scientists call this type of destruction of matter by a black hole tidal destruction. It is accompanied by strong radio and X-ray radiation.

Here is a short video showing the flow of such a phenomenon:

NASA | A massive black hole is tearing apart a passing star