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A supermassive black hole shredded a star and was caught in the act

Astronomers have gotten the earliest look yet at a tidal disruption event

shredded star

In this illustration, a star that wanders too close to a black hole (top left) is stretched into a spaghetti-like strand with part of the stellar remains flung into space.

Robin Dienel/Carnegie Institution for Science

By Carolyn Wilke

- More than 2 years ago

Every so often, a celestial slasher film plays out in the heavens, as a supermassive black hole shreds a star and swallows part of it.