NASA|Massive black hole shreds passing stars

NASA’s massive black hole shreds passing stars is a phenomenon that occurs when a star gets too close to a supermassive black hole and is torn apart by its immense gravitational force. This event, also known as a tidal disruption, produces a bright X-ray flare that can last for years. NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, Swift Gamma-ray Burst Explorer, and ESA/NASA’s XMM-Newton have observed several examples of this phenomenon in different galaxies, such as ASASSN-14li in PGC 04323412. These observations help astronomers to study the properties of black holes and their effects on their surroundings. Some of the key features of this phenomenon are:

The star is stretched and distorted by the tidal forces of the black hole, forming long filaments of gas that fall toward the black hole or are ejected into space.
The gas that falls toward the black hole forms a hot, rotating disk that emits X-rays. The inner region of the disk is very hot and drives a wind of material away from the disk.
The X-ray spectrum of the disk reveals information about the temperature, density, and composition of the gas, as well as the spin and mass.