Live Science
By Robert Lea
September 4, 2023
Up to half of the black holes that devour stars “burp up” their stellar remains years later.
Astronomers made the discovery after spending years watching black holes involved in tidal disruption events (TDEs).
TDEs occur when stars venture too close to black holes. These cosmic monsters’ immense gravity exerts incredible tidal forces that stretch and squeeze the stars — a process called spaghettification. The unfortunate stars involved in TDEs are ripped apart or “unraveled” in a matter of hours, signaled by a powerful flash of electromagnetic radiation in visible light.