Tidal Disruption Event
This animation illustrates what happens when an unlucky star strays too close to a monster black hole. Gravitational forces create intense tides that break the star apart into a stream of gas. The trailing part of the stream escapes the system, while the leading part swings back around, surrounding the black hole with a disk of debris. This cataclysmic phenomenon is called a tidal disruption event. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (USRA/GESTAR)
May 1, 2023
Credit | NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Chris Smith (USRA/GESTAR) |
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Historical Date | February 22, 2021 |
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