Cosmic discovery could shed light on black holes in distant galaxies
Scientists have discovered extreme nuclear transients (ENTs), the most powerful energy blasts in the universe, occurring when stars are torn apart by supermassive black holes.
ENTs can emit 100 times more energy in a year than the Sun does over its 10-billion-year lifetime.
Astronomer Jason Hinkle identified the first two ENTs in data from the European Space Agency 's Gaia telescope.
Researchers believe ENTs can be used to study massive black holes in distant galaxies, providing insights into black hole growth when the universe was half its current age.
ENTs are rare, occurring much less frequently than supernovae, but upcoming observatories like the Vera C Rubin Observatory and Nasa 's Roman Space Telescope may help discover more of them.
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