Strange Blast Of Light Turns Out To Be A Black Hole Pointing Straight At Earth

A strange and strong blast of visible light that is currently pointing straight towards Earth is coming from a black hole, astronomers say.

This is the first time that a black hole has been detected using visible light. How was this possible? Lucky for us, the jet is pointing almost directly at Earth, aiding scientists with their probe.

The tricky nature of black holes

Whenever stars get too close to a black hole, they're ripped and spaghettified - sending shock waves that can be felt throughout the universe. This is known as a tidal disruption event (TDE). In only a per cent of such instances, plasma and radiation is expelled from each side of the black hole.

NASA

These rare events are called jetted-TDEs, and as the Independent explained, may be compared to pushing toothpaste out of the tube from both ends.

Such events are extremely hard to see. Astronomers observe the sky for signs - pointing their advanced telescopes at black holes whenever an event is spotted. In February, scientists got lucky. They saw a blast of visible light that gave off the energy of a 1,000 trillion suns.

Smithsonian Magazine

Also read: A 'Glowing' Lab-Grown Black Hole Can Expand Our Understanding Of The Universe

This intense event was happening at a spot where no such light had been seen before. Scientists think it is one of the jetted-TDEs and it has been named AT 2022cmc. The jet was probably created when a black hole began to devour a nearby star - expelling energy throughout the universe.

NASA

This light that reached Earth just recently began its journey in space when the universe was about a third of its current age. What makes it so unusually bright is the fact that it's staring right at us!

Also read: Nearest Black Hole To Our Solar System Discovered By Studying A Star's Orbit

Findings were published in two new papers. One is titled "A very luminous jet from the disruption of a star by a massive black hole" and was published in the journal Nature. The other is titled "The Birth of a Relativistic Jet Following the Disruption of a Star by a Cosmological Black Hole" and was published in Nature Astronomy.

What do you think about this fantastic discovery? Let us know in the comments below. For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.

References

Griffin, A. (2022, November 30). A mysterious blast of light is a black hole pointing straight at Earth, scientists say. The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/space/black-hole-jet-tidal-disruption-event-b2236265.html