Scientists Record Signal of Distant Black Hole Consuming Star 42
ananyo writes "Astronomers think they have seen the flare of a dying star being eviscerated by a black hole. The signal, spotted by three different satellites, could shed light on the relationship between the smaller black holes seen in our own galaxy and the supermassive ones in distant reaches of the Universe. The stellar victim was first seen in 2011 by Swift, a NASA satellite designed to spot bursts of high-energy photons known as gamma-rays. For more than a month, Swift watched a signal from a distant galaxy, which eventually faded from view. Subsequent analysis showed that the gamma-rays probably came from a star being ripped to pieces by a previously unknown black hole (abstract)."
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wrong black hole...
Hipster hole (Score:5, Funny)
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And now that everyone knows about it, it's passé.
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The ultra strong tidal forces around the black hole probably squeezed the star apart rather than peeled off the surface. This is called the noodle effect or spaghettification [wikipedia.org].
But enough about Hollywood talent agencies... (Score:2)
supermassive ones in distant reaches of the verse (Score:2)
Or just a few lightyears away in the center of our own galaxy.
nom nom nom (Score:2, Redundant)
burp!
Headline Grammar strikes again! (Score:5, Informative)
Just to clarify, in case anyone jumped to the same conclusion I did at first:
Scientists Record Signal Of Distant Black Hole Consuming A Star
Not:
Scientists Record Signal Of Distant Black-Hole-Consuming Star
Minor difference.
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Scientists Record Signal Of Distant Black-Hole-Consuming Star
A while back I was watching some show on astronomy (might have been The Universe on the history channel) where they talking about stellar deaths and stellar collisions. One of the scenarios was a neutron star (possibly a white dwarf I don't remember) passing through a regular start and resulting in a super nova.
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Gee, cosmologists like this one [wikipedia.org] have been using those very words [archive.org] to describe stellar creation and destruction for 75 years or more.
But they're just scientists, so what the heck do they know, anyway?
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Fine, let's see what the dictionary [merriam-webster.com] says:
Examples of BIRTH ...
the birth of the solar system
the birth of the blues
We are witnessing the birth of a new era.
I have some hoisin sauce in the fridge, might make that crow go down a little better.
Better ban this! (Score:5, Funny)
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"Mayor Michael Bloomberg, when asked to comment, suggested that consuming whole stars is a major cause of black hole obesity and that he is introducing legislation to limit black hole consumption to dwarf stars and interstellar gasses. Local law enforcement expressed skepticism that the ban could enforced, since the black holes are "a bajillion light years out of our jurisdiction" but Bloomberg was adamant that "if we can save even one black hole from a life of obesity and health issues then we have an obligation to act no matter what the cost".
Dwarf stars are like a drug to black holes. He is warming up to the drug challenge which he will take on next.
Sad Slashdot (Score:1)
Posted for an hour and nothing but bad snarky jokes, grammar complaints and political commentary.
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Om Nom Nom Nom! (Score:2)
The translated text from the signal.
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Scientists Record Signal of Distant Black Hole Consuming Star
Help meeeeee!
That's no moon.
What was that signal like? (Score:2)