COSMOS MAGAZINE
Astronomers have detected a rare, extremely energetic explosion when stars at least 3 times bigger than the Sun wandered too close to a supermassive black hole.
An unlucky massive star approaches a supermassive black hole. Credit: University of Hawaiʻi.
It's the first time this event has been observed, leading to a new class of cosmic phenomena being named: “extreme nuclear transients”, or ENTs.
An infrared Echo tells us that a dusty torus surrounds the central black hole and newly-formed accretion disk. Credit: University of Hawaiʻi.
The result was an unprecedented cosmic explosion.
Credit: University of Hawaiʻi.
These blasts are up to 25 times more powerful than the brightest supernova ever recorded and can stay luminous for years.
One ENT, Gaia18cdj, released in a single year the same energy our Sun would emit over 100 entire lifetimes.
Unlike typical black hole activity, ENTs shine with smooth, long-lasting light — hinting at the slow consumption of massive stars.
Because ENTs are so bright and distant, they offer a rare glimpse into black hole growth during the universe’s most active era.