NASA's Swift Telescope Captures Rogue Black Hole Obliterating A Star In Deep Space
Way in the outskirts of a galaxy 750 million light-years away, astronomers have caught an unlucky star being torn apart by a rogue supermassive black hole that has drifted more than 30,000 light-years from its host galaxy’s core.
Supermassive black holes almost universally anchor the centers of galaxies, where their immense gravity dominates surrounding celestial traffic. Yet theoretical models have suggested that violent galactic mergers could kick these gravitational giants literally out into space. When smaller galaxies crash into larger ones, or when three or more supermassive black holes engage in a gravitational tug-of-war, the lightest among them can be flung into orbit and left to wander in relative isolation. Because black holes emit no light of their own, these outcast leviathans remain completely invisible, until something like a star strays too close.
Such is the case that occurred in the WISEA J014656.04-152214.7 galaxy, located in the constellation Cetus....
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