A supermassive black hole tore apart a star relatively close to Earth

Scientists at the Institute of Astronomy at the University of Hawaii reported that they were able to detect a tidal disruption event (TDE) of a star by a supermassive black hole, which is located at the center of the galaxy NGC 3799. This galaxy is characterized by active star formation, located 160 million light years from Earth and is observed in the constellation Leo .

The discovery was made on February 22, 2023, using the ASAS-SN supernova detection system, when researchers noticed a sudden brightening and rapid decay of the barred spiral galaxy where the event occurred. A TDE occurs when a star comes too close to a supermassive black hole—such black holes are at the center of many large galaxies and have millions or even billions of solar masses. The gravity of a supermassive black hole generates colossal tidal forces that pull the star – it turns into a cosmic noodle of stellar matter and wraps around the black hole like spaghetti on a fork. After this process, called spaghettification, the destroyed star gradually falls into the black hole. At the same time, bright flashes are created that can be seen on Earth.

These events are quite common, but detecting TDEs relatively close to Earth is very rare. Therefore, the event that occurred in the galaxy NGC 3799, which was given the designation ASASSN-23bd, turned out to be a priority for researchers. Additional observations were made using telescopes of the ATLAS system, designed to warn of approaching asteroids, as well as the Keck Observatory. It turned out that ASASSN-23bd stands out among TDEs not only because of its proximity to Earth: the event generated a bright burst for only 15 days, that is, it passed about twice as fast as similar ones. In addition, the result was that significantly less energy was produced than usual. As a result, the event was classified as a “fast low-luminosity TDE.”

source: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2024/03/05/star-ripped-apart-by-black-hole/