Astronomers have made an incredible discovery. They’ve spotted the largest and farthest flare ever from a supermassive black hole, nicknamed “Superman.” This massive light burst originated 10 billion light-years away and shone with the brightness of 10 trillion suns at its peak.
The flare comes from an active galactic nucleus (AGN), which is a bright spot at the center of a galaxy powered by a supermassive black hole. As gas and dust swirl around the black hole, they heat up and release intense radiation.
Scientists believe this flare was caused by the black hole consuming a massive star, likely one that would have exploded otherwise. Matthew Graham, a research professor at Caltech, mentioned that such extreme flaring is rare, occurring in only about 1 in 10,000 AGNs. This event is so unusual that it’s about 1 in a million, which is significant in the study of cosmic phenomena.
This discovery suggests that giant stars probably exist near supermassive black holes, challenging our understanding of how these celestial giants interact. Superman was first spotted in November 2018 by the Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey and the Zwicky Transient Facility, known for detecting fleeting cosmic events.
Initially, researchers thought Superman was a blazar, a type of black hole that emits energy across the galaxy. However, a closer look at older data showed fluctuations in brightness, leading scientists to realize it was more complex. Observations with powerful telescopes, like the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, revealed the source was far more luminous than expected—about 500 million times more massive than our sun.
The brightness of this flare is astounding. It is 30 times more luminous than any other known black hole flare. The star being devoured has a mass at least 30 times that of the sun. Previously, the largest tidal disruption event was associated with a black hole consuming a star much smaller in comparison.
K.E. Saavik Ford, an astronomy professor, emphasized the importance of this event. It indicates that massive stars are likely found in the disks of gas surrounding supermassive black holes. This understanding could reshape how we view galaxy formation. Researchers are keeping an eye on the flare, which is still ongoing, as the black hole continues consuming the star—akin to a fish halfway down the gut of a whale, Graham noted.
Interestingly, while the event occurred 10 billion years ago, the light we see now has taken that long to reach us. A light-year is about 5.88 trillion miles. This means we are witnessing the event in slow motion—a phenomenon called cosmological time dilation. For every seven years on Earth, only about two years pass near the black hole.
Using data from the Zwicky survey and new observatories like the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, scientists hope to find more of these extraordinary events. These observations reveal that supermassive black holes have much more dynamic environments than previously thought.
Experts believe that discoveries like Superman will enhance our understanding of galaxy structures and their histories. “When a supermassive black hole erupts in a brilliant flare, it gives us a front-row seat to some of the most extreme physics in the Universe,” said Alex Filippenko, a professor of astronomy at UC Berkeley. His work lays a foundation for comprehending active galactic nuclei and their dynamics.
This remarkable flare not only sheds light on the interaction between black holes and stars but also opens doors for future exploration of galactic evolution. The more we understand, the clearer our view of the universe becomes.
