A supermassive black hole has made waves in the scientific community by producing an extraordinary flare after consuming a star that is over 30 times the mass of our sun. This phenomenon, labeled J2245+3743, could be the most powerful and distant energy burst ever observed from such a black hole, although it needs confirmation as a tidal disruption event (TDE).
K. E. Saavik Ford, an astronomer at CUNY and the American Museum of Natural History, explained that the energy released is equivalent to converting our entire sun to energy, based on Einstein’s famous equation, E=mc². This intense burst has captivated researchers since it first came to light, indicating that something significant is happening far beyond our galaxy.
The findings, shared on November 4 in Nature Astronomy, suggest that this event could outshine its predecessor, a flare known as “Scary Barbie.” That earlier record-holder only consumed a star three to ten times heavier than the sun, clearly making J2245+3743 a groundbreaking discovery.
This gigantic flare erupted from an active galactic nucleus, tying it to a black hole estimated to be over 500 million times the mass of the sun and located 10 billion light-years away. To put this scale into context, the universe itself is about 13.8 billion years old. Remarkably, this flare was 30 times brighter than previous ones, peaking at the brightness of about 10 trillion suns, with fluctuations that varied by forty times during the observation.
Matthew Graham, a research professor at Caltech and the lead author of the study, noted that this event stands out as unlike any other active galactic nucleus they’ve studied. The observations began in 2018 at the Palomar Observatory, and since then, various telescopes have been tracking the development of this astonishing flare. The researchers speculate that the ongoing flare might be dimming because the consumed star isn’t entirely gone yet—comparable to “a fish only halfway down the whale’s gullet.”
When compared to approximately 100 other recorded TDEs, J2245+3743 serves as a significant outlier, as most TDEs occur at brightness levels typical of a black hole’s usual feeding activities. This makes them difficult to detect, but the brightness of J2245+3743 made it easy to spot. Experts indicate that while this supermassive black hole event might be unique, similar occurrences likely exist, waiting to be discovered.
The newly launched Vera C. Rubin Observatory might reveal more such intriguing events, aiding astronomers in understanding the universe’s mysteries. The ongoing exploration of these colossal black holes and their monstrous feasts not only stretches our understanding of cosmic phenomena but also sheds light on the processes that govern the universe itself.
For further reading on black holes and related discoveries, check out NASA, which regularly provides updates on astronomical research breakthroughs and discoveries.
