Hubble image archive
Black Hole Devours Bypassing Star Illustration
This sequence of artist's illustrations shows how a black hole can devour a bypassing star. 1. A normal star passes near a supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy. 2. The star's outer gasses are pulled into the black hole's gravitational field. 3. The star is shredded a...
- Date
- Jan 1, 2023
- Mission
- Hubble Space Telescope
- Archive ID
- hubblesite-images-2023-001-01gnyf3kg5zfkyds7cwxqw9e8n
This sequence of artist's illustrations shows how a black hole can devour a bypassing star.
1. A normal star passes near a supermassive black hole in the center of a galaxy.
2. The star's outer gasses are pulled into the black hole's gravitational field.
3. The star is shredded as tidal forces pull it apart.
4. The stellar remnants are pulled into a donut-shaped ring around the black hole, and will eventually fall into the black hole, unleashing a tremendous amount of light and high-energy radiation.
Credits
Artwork
NASA, ESA, Leah Hustak (STScI)
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Source
Image and source material are credited to the official mission archive linked below.
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