NASA detects rare phenomenon of a black hole 'devouring' a star with help of AI
Astronomers have recorded a rare cosmic event involving an orphan black hole destroying a nearby star. This tidal disruption event occurred on the outskirts of a distant galaxy, 750 million light-years away from Earth. NASA notes that this is the first instance of an optical tidal disruption event discovered outside the center of a host galaxy, challenging previous assumptions about where these massive objects reside.
The discovery process relied on advanced artificial intelligence to sift through massive amounts of astronomical data. Scientists monitored the Zwicky Transient Facility at the Palomar Observatory, which identifies half a million light flashes every night. An automated algorithm flagged this specific flare, allowing researchers to prioritize it for further observation.
Following the AI detection, teams used the Southern Astrophysical Research telescope in Chile and the Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory to confirm the nature of the light. The flare was so intense that it outshone its entire host galaxy in ultraviolet wavelengths for several months, radiating with the luminosity of 10 billion suns. Scientists determined the black hole weighs roughly one million times the mass of the sun.
The existence of black holes outside galactic centers remains a subject of intense study. Researchers suggest two primary theories for how a black hole ends up on the edge of a galaxy. It may occur during a merger of multiple galaxies, where the resulting gravitational forces eject the lightest black hole toward the periphery. Alternatively, the black hole may have originated from a smaller dwarf galaxy that is currently merging with a larger host.
Finding these objects remains difficult because they are typically invisible. By focusing on star-shredding events as a detection method, astronomers now have a new technique to locate wandering black holes that were previously hidden from view. This success provides a fresh pathway for mapping the presence of massive black holes across the wider universe.