Black Hole Shredding Star Produces Most Energetic Tidal Disruption Event Observed

Astronomers have observed a black hole devouring a star, unleashing energy equal to 400 billion suns in a cosmic spectacle dubbed 'the Whippet.'

The event, classified as a Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient (LFBOT), occurred when a supermassive black hole shredded a massive star, creating a high-speed accretion disk and jets of ejected material. Shockwaves from the Tidal Disruption Event (TDE) traveled at 20% the speed of light (~134 million mph), while helium-rich material moved at ~13 million mph (21 million km/h).

Daniel Perley of Liverpool John Moores University described the phenomenon as a black hole merging with a massive companion star, shredding it into a disk that feeds the black hole. It's a rare and awe-inspiring phenomenon.

Observations were conducted using the Zwicky Transient Facility, Liverpool Telescope, and NASA's Swift satellite. The event's distance was confirmed by researchers at UCLA and Caltech. The team notes that the origin of the helium stream remains uncertain, with hypotheses under investigation.