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Health & Science3h 9m ago
A star that nearly escaped a black hole encounter became its second meal, leading astronomers to predict when the black hole will feed again.
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860 million lightyears away
Who
Thomas Wevers, Dheeraj Pasham, Eric Coughlin, Muryel Guolo
What
A star that nearly escaped a black hole encounter became its second meal, leading astronomers to predict when the black hole will feed again.
When
Fri, 12 Jun 2026 09:11:46 GMT · 3h 9m ago
Where
860 million lightyears away ·
Why
A tidal disruption event occurred when a star wandered too close to a supermassive black hole, causing it to be torn apart and subsequently consumed in multiple 'meals'.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
The discovery of a star surviving an initial black hole encounter and returning for subsequent 'meals' provides new insights into the behavior of supermassive black holes and the evolution of galaxies. This ongoing observation will help refine understanding of cosmic events and stellar dynamics in extreme environments.
Story chain
3 events in this thread- Health & Science3h 9m 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
- Health & Science3h 9m 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.Open article
- Currently Reading3h 9m agoA star that nearly escaped a black hole encounter became its second meal, leading astronomers to predict when the black hole will feed again.