A black hole has been observed indulging in what could be a gigantic rogue planet, marking a cosmic first for astronomers.
The massive black hole did not consume its entire meal; scientists suggest that it was either a wandering gas giant similar to Jupiter or a brown dwarf, an unusual object larger than a planet yet insufficiently massive to initiate the internal fusion necessary for becoming a full star.
“This marks the first instance where we have observed a black hole disrupting a substellar entity,” stated Roland Walter, study co-author from the Observatory of Geneva, in a declaration.
“Our calculations indicate that only the outer layers of the object were consumed by the black hole, representing approximately 10 percent of its overall mass, while a denser core remains in orbit around the black hole.”
The discovery was made with the European Space Agency’s Integral space observatory, which detected an X-ray flare originating from the center of a galaxy named NGC 4845, situated 47 million light-years away.
Furthermore, astronomers predict that our Milky Way’s enormous central black hole is about to have its own feast. A gas cloud, weighing as much as several Earths, is on a collision course with the black hole and is expected to be devoured later this year.
By observing more occurrences like this, researchers aim to enhance their understanding of how black holes consume matter.
“Such events are estimated to be detectable every few years in neighboring galaxies, and if we are able to observe them, Integral, along with other high-energy space observatories, will witness the unfolding events just as it did with NGC 4845,” remarked Christoph Winkler, ESA’s project scientist for Integral.
