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Credit & Copyright: NASA,
JPL-Caltech
Explanation:
What happens to a star that goes near a black hole?
If the star directly impacts a massive
black hole,
then the star falls in completely -- and everything vanishes.
More likely, though, the star goes close enough to have the
black hole's gravity pull away the outer layers of the star, or
disrupt the star.
Then most of the star's gas does not fall into the
black hole.
These stellar
tidal disruption events can be as bright as a supernova,
and an increasing amount of them are being discovered by automated
sky surveys.
In the featured artist's illustration, a star has just passed a massive
black hole and sheds gas that continues to orbit.
The inner edge of a disk of gas and dust surrounding the black hole is heated by
the
disruption event and may glow long after the star
is gone.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: black hole
Publications with words: black hole
See also:
- APOD: 2024 June 16 Á Animation: Black Hole Destroys Star
- Simulation: Two Black Holes Merge
- The Galaxy, the Jet, and a Famous Black Hole
- APOD: 2024 May 8 Á Visualization: A Black Hole Accretion Disk
- APOD: 2024 May 7 Á Black Hole Accreting with Jet
- APOD: 2024 May 5 Á A Black Hole Disrupts a Passing Star
- APOD: 2024 April 1 Á Swirling Magnetic Field around Our Galaxys Central Black Hole