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Jan 17, 2023

A black hole devoured a star and created a Solar System-sized donut

Posted by in categories: cosmology, materials

New Hubble Space Telescope readings show the last moments of a star before it’s devoured by a black hole.

Astronomers used NASA’s iconic Hubble Space Telescope to record detailed observations of a star’s final moments before it was torn apart by a black hole.

As per a NASA blog post, the astronomers used Hubble to focus on the immense gravitational impact on the dying star.


NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI)

The violent encounter, also known as a “tidal disruption event,” both pulls in material from the star and also shoots radiation out into the cosmos. In the process, a massive donut-shaped gas cloud is formed.

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