Infrared Echoes of a Black Hole Eating a Star Illustration
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Infrared Echoes of a Black Hole Eating a Star Illustration

Explore the profound quiet of the universe through NASA's high-resolution archives. Perfect for your stargazing journey.

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This illustration shows a glowing stream of material from a star as it is being devoured by a supermassive black hole in a tidal disruption flare. When a star passes within a certain distance of a black hole -- close enough to be gravitationally disrupted -- the stellar material gets stretched and compressed as it falls into the black hole. In the process of being accreted, the gas heats up and creates a lot of optical and ultraviolet light, which destroys nearby dust but merely heats dust further out. The farther dust that is heated emits a large amount of infrared light. In recent years, a few dozen such flares have been discovered, but they are not well understood. Astronomers gained new insights into tidal disruption flares thanks to data from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE). Studies using WISE data characterized tidal disruption flares by studying how surrounding dust absorbs and re-emits their light, like echoes. This approach allowed scientists to measure the energy of flares from stellar tidal disruption events more precisely than ever before. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA20027
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Stargazer FAQ

Are the colors in this nebula image real?

NASA often uses 'false color' techniques. Scientists map invisible wavelengths (like infrared) or specific gases to visible colors (red, green, blue) to highlight the nebula's structural details.

Can I see this nebula with a standard telescope?

While some bright nebulas are visible with entry-level telescopes, capturing these stunning details usually requires deep-sky astrophotography equipment and long exposures.

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