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Health & Science3h 11m ago
A star, catalogued as AT2018fyk, that initially survived a close encounter with a supermassive black hole has been partially consumed in a second event, with a third feeding predicted between May and August 2025.
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a galaxy 860 million lightyears away
Who
Thomas Wevers, Dheeraj Pasham, Eric Coughlin, Muryel Guolo, and their teams of scientists
What
A star, catalogued as AT2018fyk, that initially survived a close encounter with a supermassive black hole has been partially consumed in a second event, with a third feeding predicted between May and August 2025.
When
Fri, 12 Jun 2026 09:11:46 GMT · 3h 11m ago
Where
a galaxy 860 million lightyears away ·
Why
The star entered into an elliptical orbit around the black hole after its initial close encounter, leading to repeated partial consumption during subsequent close approaches.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This event provides new insights into the behavior of supermassive black holes and the evolution of galaxies, challenging previous assumptions about how stars are consumed in tidal disruption events. The prediction of a third meal allows for future observation and deeper understanding of these cosmic phenomena.
Story chain
3 events in this thread- Health & Science3h 11m agoA star that almost had a lucky escape after an encounter with a black hole has become the cosmic behemoth's second course.Open article
- Currently Reading3h 11m agoA star, catalogued as AT2018fyk, that initially survived a close encounter with a supermassive black hole has been partially consumed in a second event, with a third feeding predicted between May and August 2025.
- Health & Science3h 11m agoA star that nearly escaped a black hole encounter became its second meal, leading astronomers to predict when the black hole will feed again.Open article