An orphaned black hole that drifted toward the outskirts of its galaxy was caught devouring an unlucky star, revealing itself through a bright flash of light in deep space. The rare cosmic event had never been seen so far outside of a galaxy’s core before. Scientists have long theorized about wandering black holes that may have gotten displaced when galaxies collide or merge together. These dormant objects are rarely seen, however, since they don’t emit light by swallowing up surrounding material. That was until researchers caught a bright flash of light released by a star as it was being torn apart, indicating the presence of a supermassive black hole dining on its remains. The discovery, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, could pave the way for the detection of more wandering black holes.
Invisible monsters Supermassive blackholes are normally found tucked away at the center of galaxies, gobbling up material with their strong gravitational pull. Some, however, end up drifting in the outer regions of their host galaxies. The only way to observe these wandering black holes is through a tidal disruption event, whereby a star passes too close to a blackhole and is ripped apart by its gravitational force. Astronomical surveys typically spot around 30 tidal disruption events each year, and scientists have only seen them taking place in galaxy cores.
