Latest news with #TDE
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Astronomers discover black hole ripping a star apart inside a galactic collision. 'It is a peculiar event'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Astronomers have taken a detailed look at a rare and incredibly violent cosmic event resulting from an unfortunate star venturing too close to a supermassive black hole. The team behind the research hopes it could reveal more about how such events, dubbed "tidal disruption events" or "TDEs," influence the evolution of their host brutal battles between stellar bodies and the immense gravity of black holes with masses millions or even billions of times that of the sun result in stars being shredded and fed to the black holes. This cosmic cannibalism causes blasts of light that can outshine the combined light of every star in the host galaxy of the TDE, alerting scientists to a gory stellar death. This particular TDE has been designated AT 2022wtn, and occurred in a galaxy located around 700 million light-years away. This galaxy is in the early stages of merging with one of its galactic neighbors. The galaxy that hosts the TDE is known as SDSSJ232323.79+104107.7, and it is the smaller of the two colliding galaxies. The other galaxy mixed up in this merger is at least ten times larger than SDSSJ232323.79+104107.7. It is thought that the two galaxies in this merging system have already made a close pass to one other. This represents just the second time that a TDE has been detected in interacting galaxies. That's despite a prevailing theory that the early stages of mergers create the kind of conditions that favor these brutal occurrences. AT 2022wtn was first brought to the attention of astronomers at the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), with further investigation in wavelengths of light ranging from radio to infrared and even X-rays, which revealed its nature as a TDE. The astronomers were able to determine that the black hole involved in this TDE has a mass equal to around 1 million suns, while its stellar meal is a low-mass star. However, despite clearly presenting itself as an example of a supermassive black hole ripping apart a star, there are some unusual aspects of AT 2022wtn that set it apart from other TDEs. "It is a peculiar event. Its light curve is characterized by a plateau in the phase of maximum brightness, lasting about 30 days, accompanied by a sharp drop in temperature and a spectral sequence that shows the development of two emission lines corresponding to the wavelengths of helium and nitrogen," team leader and National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) Francesca Onori said in a statement. "Something that we had never observed with such clarity." Like all TDEs, AT 2022wtn would have begun when a doomed star's orbit brought it too close to the central supermassive black hole at the heart of its host galaxy. This results in the immense gravitational influence of the black hole generating immense tidal forces within the star. These forces squash the star horizontally while stretching it vertically, a process colorfully known as "spaghettification."Some of the resulting stellar wreckage winds around the destructive supermassive black hole like actual spaghetti around a fork, forming a whirling flattened cloud of plasma called an accretion disk. Not all of the material from the wrecked star falls around the black hole and eventually into its maw, however. A great deal of stellar matter is blasted out as powerful, high-speed outflows or jets. In the case of AT 2022wtn, these outflows created a short, bright radio emission from the TDE and extreme changes in the velocity of light-emitting elements around the also indicated that the star was completely destroyed as a result of this TDE and that, in addition to an accretion disk, the cosmic cannibalistic event created an expanding spherical "bubble" of expelled gas. Related Stories: — Black hole announces itself to astronomers by violently ripping apart a star — Massive star's gory 'death by black hole' is the biggest and brightest event of its kind — Star escapes ravenous supermassive black hole, leaving behind its stellar partner "We found clear traces of the dynamics of the surrounding material also in some emission lines which show characteristics compatible with a fast propagation towards the outside," Onori said. "Thanks to our monitoring campaign, we were able to propose an interpretation of the origin of the observed radiation: AT2022wtn gave rise to a rapid formation of the disk around the black hole and the subsequent expulsion of part of the stellar matter. "This result is particularly relevant, since the source of visible light and the physical conditions of the region from which it comes, in TDEs, are still under study."The team's research was published on May 23 in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
Astronomers witness supermassive black hole tear star apart during violent galactic collision—here's what exactly happened in this rare tidal disruption event
Black hole rips apart star in rare galactic collision: Astronomers witness violent tidal disruption event- A supermassive black hole ripping a star apart during a galaxy merger has given astronomers a rare and violent spectacle to study—one that could unlock new insights into how black holes influence their galaxies. This cosmic event, called a tidal disruption event (TDE), happened about 700 million light-years from Earth in a merging pair of galaxies. The event, named AT 2022wtn, is only the second TDE ever seen in interacting galaxies, making it an extraordinary discovery. Scientists say it sheds light—quite literally—on how massive black holes feed, evolve, and possibly impact galactic development. What exactly is a tidal disruption event and why is AT 2022wtn so rare? A tidal disruption event occurs when a star strays too close to a supermassive black hole—an object millions or even billions of times heavier than the Sun. The black hole's gravitational pull is so intense that it rips the star apart, stretching and squeezing it in a process astronomers call spaghettification. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với sàn môi giới tin cậy IC Markets Tìm hiểu thêm Undo In the case of AT 2022wtn, this violent dismemberment took place in a galaxy called SDSSJ232323.79+104107.7. This galaxy is currently colliding with a larger neighboring galaxy, at least ten times its size, in the early stages of a galactic merger. The merging process is believed to stir up activity near black holes, possibly triggering TDEs like this one. The discovery of AT 2022wtn is crucial because, although galaxy mergers are common, seeing a TDE in one is extremely rare. That's what makes this observation so special. Live Events How did astronomers find out about this cosmic disaster? The TDE was first spotted by the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF), which scans the sky for sudden bursts of light and unusual activity. From there, teams across the globe dug deeper, observing the event across the entire spectrum of light—from radio waves to X-rays. The black hole at the center of this event is estimated to have a mass around 1 million times that of the Sun, and the unlucky star it consumed was a low-mass star. Researchers saw a massive burst of light when the star was torn apart, which temporarily outshone the entire galaxy it lived in. What makes AT 2022wtn different from other star-eating events? According to Francesca Onori from Italy's National Institute for Astrophysics (INAF), this event showed features never seen this clearly before. She called it 'a peculiar event' and noted that its light curve stayed at peak brightness for about 30 days—a long time in TDE terms. During that time, the temperature dropped sharply, and scientists detected specific emission lines in the light from the event—namely helium and nitrogen. This suggests very complex chemical activity and possibly a rapid formation of an accretion disk, a spinning cloud of material forming around the black hole from the remains of the star. Onori added, 'We found clear traces of the dynamics of the surrounding material,' showing that stellar debris was being pushed outward rapidly, creating a kind of expanding bubble of gas. What happens when a star becomes 'spaghetti'? When a star ventures too close to a black hole, the difference in gravity between the side closest to the black hole and the side furthest away becomes extreme. This causes the star to be squeezed and stretched into long, thin strands—hence the term spaghettification. In AT 2022wtn, this shredded material formed a whirling disk of plasma. Some of the star's material spiraled into the black hole, while other parts were blasted away into space as jets and high-speed outflows. The team also detected a brief burst of radio waves, confirming these explosive emissions. Why is this discovery so important for science? This rare black hole-star interaction not only gave scientists a detailed view of how TDEs form, but also helped them understand the physical conditions around black holes during galaxy mergers. According to the research team, the study provides new evidence that supports the idea that galaxy collisions can trigger black holes to become more active. It also adds crucial data on how TDEs evolve, how accretion disks form, and how the resulting radiation is produced. Their findings were published on May 23 in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. A cosmic warning and a clue to galaxy growth? While Earth is safe from such destruction (our Sun isn't near any massive black holes), these events serve as important reminders of the raw power of gravity and the extreme physics happening in deep space. More importantly, they give us clues about how black holes grow, how they interact with their environment, and how they may even shape the galaxies around them. For astronomers, AT 2022wtn is more than a violent end for one star—it's a rare and valuable opportunity to study the life cycle of galaxies and the monstrous forces that control them. FAQs: Q1: What is a tidal disruption event in a galaxy merger? A tidal disruption event is when a star gets torn apart by a supermassive black hole during a galactic collision. Q2: Why is AT 2022wtn important for black hole research? It's a rare case of a black hole eating a star during a galaxy merger, offering new insights into black hole behavior.
Hypebeast
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hypebeast
Top Dawg Entertainment Deliver Spring 2025 Racing Collection
Summary Top Dawg Entertainment(TDE) is hitting the gas with its Spring 2025 Racing Collection. An homage to Los Angeles' racing culture, the capsule is led by a long-sleeve motocross jersey with bright TDE logos. Tops include a black contrast stitch T-shirt with yellow branding, a graphic tee with a driving plate motif and a white baby tee. Closing out the collection are a duo of racing-inspired caps, as well as a driving plate keychain. The release arrives just asSZAandKendrick Lamarbring their co-headlining 'Grand National Tour' home to Los Angeles on May 23 and May 24. Check out the collection above. The TDE Spring 2025 Racing Collection is available for a limited time only starting May 23 at 12 p.m. EST via theTDE webstore.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Hubble spots a roaming black hole light-years from where it belongs
A black hole skulking in the shadows 600 million light-years away in space gave itself away with a dazzling flash, the light of a star it had just gnashed and eaten. Using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and other observatories, astronomers found the cosmic object in an unexpected place. Rather than sitting dead center in its galaxy like most supermassive black holes, this one was thousands of light-years away from the core — 2,600, in fact. What's more, there is another enormous black hole that is the actual nucleus. While the catawampus black hole has the mass of 1 million suns, the one that defines the galactic center is 100 million times the mass of the sun. The burst of radiation detected, known as a tidal disruption event or TDE, began when a star wandered too close to the black hole. If not for that stellar snack, the black hole would have escaped astronomers' notice. "It opens up the entire possibility of uncovering this elusive population of wandering black holes with future sky surveys," said study author Yuhan Yao of UC Berkeley in a statement. "I think this discovery will motivate scientists to look for more examples of this type of event." SEE ALSO: Soviets were headed to Venus in 1972. The spacecraft is about to return. The Hubble Space Telescope, a partnership of NASA and the European Space Agency, confirms the presence of a wandering supermassive black hole, 600 million light-years from Earth. Credit: NASA Out of about 100 TDE events discovered through surveys so far, this one, dubbed AT2024tvd, is the first scientists have seen emerging from a supermassive black hole that is not a galactic nucleus. The research team's findings, announced by NASA, will be published in an upcoming issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Black holes are some of the most inscrutable phenomena in outer space. About 50 years ago, they were little more than a theory — a kooky mathematical answer to a physics problem. Even astronomers at the top of their field weren't entirely convinced they existed. Today, not only are black holes accepted science, they're getting their pictures taken by a collection of enormous, synced-up radio dishes on Earth. Unlike a planet or star, black holes don't have surfaces. Instead, they have a boundary called an "event horizon," or a point of no return. If anything swoops too close, like the doomed aforementioned star, it will fall in, never to escape the hole's gravitational clutch. The most common kind, called a stellar black hole, is thought to be the result of an enormous star dying in a supernova explosion. The star's material then collapses onto itself, condensing into a relatively tiny area. How supermassive black holes form is even more elusive. Astrophysicists believe these invisible giants lurk in the heart of virtually all galaxies. Recent Hubble observations have bolstered the theory that they begin in the dusty cores of starburst galaxies, where new stars are rapidly assembled, but scientists are still teasing that out. A supermassive black hole is off-center in a galaxy 600 million light-years from Earth. Credit: NASA / ESA / STScI / Ralf Crawford illustration As the star was stretched and torn asunder in the TDE, some of its gas formed a glowing ring around the black hole. The resulting flare flashed brightly in ultraviolet and visible light. Telescopes on the ground, such as the Zwicky Transient Facility in California, first detected it. But it was Hubble that confirmed the flare's off-center location. NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory in space and the Very Large Array in New Mexico provided supporting data. The two supermassive black holes both reside in the same galaxy, yet they are not a binary pair, meaning they're not bound to each other through gravity. Scientists don't know how the wandering black hole got there. A star's remnants form a disk around a hidden supermassive black hole. Credit: NASA / ESA / STScI / Ralf Crawford illustration One possibility is that the smaller black hole came from a smaller galaxy that at some point merged with the larger one, bringing its central black hole along for the ride. Eventually, the smaller black hole may spiral into the larger one. For now, it's doing its own thing. Another possibility is that it was ganged up on by a couple of bully black holes. In so-called three-body interactions, the lowest-mass object can be evicted from the center of a galaxy, with the two others remaining in the galaxy's core. "Theorists have predicted that a population of massive black holes located away from the centers of galaxies must exist," said Ryan Chornock, a member of the ZTF team, in a statement, "but now we can use TDEs to find them.'
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kendrick Lamar & SZA Bring Grand National Tour to New Jersey's MetLife Stadium: 10 Best Moments
It's been more than a year since Kendrick Lamar upended the rap game and significantly altered the course of popular culture with 'Not Like Us,' the five-time Grammy-winning, Billboard Hot 100-topping knockout punch in his monthslong battle against Drake. If the feverish crowd at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium on Friday night (May 10) was anything to go by, ongoing domination isn't likely to subside anytime soon. More from Billboard Tina Arena Stops Melbourne Show to Break Up Concert Brawl Kneecap's First Live Show Since Coachella Set to Go Ahead at London Festival Olivia Rodrigo Reveals Full Lineup For London BST Hyde Park Show Lamar and SZA, former TDE labelmates and both global superstars in their own rights, graced the NYC-area venue for their second of two shows in East Rutherford, N.J., on their blockbuster Grand National Tour. One of the most ambitious treks in hip-hop history, the Grand National Tour, which kicked off in Minneapolis on April 19, is a towering achievement. From mainstream-conquering smashes ('Luther,' 'Humble,' 'DNA') to headier deep cuts from his latest Billboard 200 chart-topper GNX ('Man at the Garden,' 'Reincarnated'), Lamar meticulously presented hip-hop as stadium-sized theater. He didn't do so by relying on flashy production or set design; instead, he stripped hip-hop down to its five founding pillars, laying bare the incomparable art form that is emceeing on a hot mic. Kicking things off with GNX opener 'Wacced Out Murals,' Lamar launched the nearly three-hour extravaganza all on his lonesome. Lamar and SZA traded sets bridged by beloved duets like 'Doves in the Wind,' 'All the Stars' and the more recent '30 for 30 Freestyle.' Though both artists sourced the bulk of their sets from their most recent releases (GNX for Lamar and SOS Deluxe: LANA for SZA), they also held space for their respective catalogs. Lamar rapped the opening verse of 'Swimming Pools' completely a cappella for his 'day ones'; SZA frequently shouted out her 'Ctrl babies' before performing cuts like 'Garden (Say It Like Dat)' and 'Broken Clocks,' and she pulled Zacari's weight for a sweet rendition of Lamar's 'Love.' Across a stage reminiscent of the video game controller setup of Lamar's landmark Super Bowl LIX halftime show, the Grand National Tour's set design is largely minimalistic, save for a stair platform placed at the center of the stage. Despite a few levitating mini-platforms and a flying fairy moment for SZA, the true centerpiece of the Grand National stage was the literal GNX that helped the set transition between each set. When Kendrick first hit the stage, the black GNX stood as it does on the album cover, but by the time SZA hit her set, the vehicle transformed into a grassy, fauna-laden ride that nodded to the insect aesthetic of the LANA era. At the show's close ('Gloria'), Lamar opened the passenger door for SZA like a consummate gentleman and joined her in the car as they wished the packed stadium safe travels home. Both a wildly impressive victory lap and the progeny of over a decade of grueling work from both Lamar and SZA, the Grand National Tour saw two of the most defining artists of the 2010s (and now 2020s) operating at the height of their powers while ensuring hip-hop always remains at the center. Here are the 10 best moments from their Grand National Tour stop at MetLife Stadium. On Future and Metro Boomin's 'Like That,' the song that heralded his rejection of the widely accepted Blog Era Big Three mythology, Lamar proclaimed himself Prince (to Drizzy's Michael Jackson), spitting, 'And your best work is a light pack/ N—-, Prince outlived Mike Jack.' Kendrick performed with The Purple One before his passing and has often spoken about his love and respect for the music icon. So it was no surprise that 'Purple Rain' was the final song to blare through the stadium speakers before the lights dimmed. That moment, combined with SZA's brief, cheeky interpolation of 'Kiss' during 'Kiss Me More,' made for a pair of Prince easter eggs that bolstered the throughline of tributing Black music legends — from Anita Baker to Teedra Moses. To kick off her second act of the night, SZA leaned heavily into her rock inclinations with a fiery medley of 'Scorsese Baby Daddy' and 'F2F.' With an impressive guitarist trailing her on both walkways, SZA delivered all the belts, ad-libs, hair flips and dramatic, drop-to-your-knees stage choreography that a great pop-star-goes-rock moment should have. In fact, she seemed a bit more comfortable in this mode than as levitating balladeer ('Nobody Gets Me'), but her true achievement was how naturally she shifted between both templates — alongside several others as the night unfolded. A downside to the rise of backing track rappers is the lack of musical innovation and imagination when it comes to reinterpreting songs for a live setting. Thankfully, Lamar is not of that ilk. At the Super Bowl, Kendrick rearranged certain songs (take the barbershop quartet feel of 'Man at the Garden,' for example) to align with the show's theme of navigating pride and existing while Black in America. On the Grand National Tour, he reimagined decade-old songs in the spirit of the Anita Baker tapes that soundtracked rides in his GNX. 'M.A.A.D. City' got a 'Sweet Love' makeover, underscoring the push-and-pull between love and hate that grounds the setlist, while pounding live drums bolstered the foreboding feel of 'Wacced Out Murals' at the show's onset. Who says pyro is the only way to add a bit of drama? Lamar's unrelenting stamina was one of the most impressive and talked-about elements of his Super Bowl halftime show. Friday night made that look like child's play. In totality, the Grand National show runs about two hours and 15 minutes, with Kendrick and SZA essentially getting half of that time each. In an era where far too many rappers rely on backing tracks — or simply hold the mic out to the audience while an .mp3 file plays through the speakers — Lamar's commitment to rapping every last bar live was spellbinding. From the six-minute tour de force that is 2024's 'Euphoria' to significantly different arrangements of classic tracks like 'M.A.A.D. City,' Lamar never ran out of breath or let a backing track carry him when he was on the stage — and that's all while he was executing choreography and working every side of the massive stage. While the tour is certainly impressive in its translation of cinematic minimalism to a stadium venue, Kendrick's intensely physical performance was the true anchor of the show. Though '30 for 30 Freestyle' hit the Hot 100's top 10 and 'BMF' and 'Diamond Boy' were quasi-hits, 'Another Life' is the track that truly emerged as the fan-favorite of LANA. After teasing a flexible, rotating setlist at the last few tour stops, SZA surprised MetLife Stadium with her first live performance of 'Another Life,' slotting into her tear-jerking ballad section alongside the SOS Hot 100 hit 'Nobody Gets Me.' If you happened to be in a section with a solid number of SZA fans, you'd know the screams for 'Another Life' were on par with those for actual chart toppers like 'Kill Bill' — a beautiful reminder of how SZA's most beloved songs tend to transcend chart metrics. After Playboi Carti popped up in Atlanta for 'Good Credit,' many had their eyes on East Rutherford as the next stop to feature a surprise guest. For night two, Baby Keem came through as the first of two surprise guests. Joining his older cousin for 'Family Ties,' Keem drew loud cheers from the crowd as the pair ripped through the Grammy-winning song. For fans who watched Keem open for Lamar on The Big Steppers Tour, their graduation from arenas to stadiums was particularly thrilling to witness. Between SZA dominating the box office earlier this year alongside Keke Palmer in One of Them Days and Kendrick joining the production team of Trey Parker's still-untitled 2026 film, the two music stars are making major strides in the film industry. After all, they did earn an Oscar nomination for their gorgeous Black Panther end-credits song, 'All the Stars.' In the interludes preceding Kendrick's acts, the former labelmates flaunted their acting skills and comedic chops, delivering brief — but informative — glimpses at their adorable older brother-little sister dynamic. From SZA's insistence that she'd never forget 'that prophet n—-'s' gas station order to Kendrick ranting and raving about her nagging for Chamoy, the video interludes helped frame the whole show as a victory lap road trip from Compton to St. Louis and beyond. The secret to Lamar's incredibly effective staging of hip-hop theater at MetLife was his commitment to upholding the five pillars of hip-hop. His always-hot mic demonstrated the sheer physicality of his emceeing skills, and Mustard's opening DJ set and triumphant reappearance during the second half of 'TV Off' honored the art of DJing as a foundational principle of hip-hop music and culture. There wasn't much in the way of traditional graffiti, but the shifting design of the GNX and the storytelling of the tour interludes conveyed the visual characteristics of street art. Of course, the dancers were a core element of the show, with bits of Super Bowl choreography and traditional West Coast moves comprising most of their moves. Finally, Lamar's entire catalog has been a journey in acquiring knowledge of the world and self, and the Grand National Tour puts that entire journey on display — with the final destination being the knowledge that hip-hop is, now and forever, a stadium genre. Once Keem popped out, it only felt right that SZA would also bring out a friend or two — and so she did. Grammy-winning DJ and producer Kaytranada lit up MetLife Stadium with a swanky performance of his uber-viral remix of Teedra Moses' 'Be Your Girl.' After teasing the crowd with a bit of dance music via a mashup of her 2017 'The Weekend' track and its disco-tinged Calvin Harris remix, SZA went full-throttle house with Kaytranada's help, momentarily turning her home state's marquee stadium into a sacred moment of musical escapism. Naturally, Kaytranada also played a surprise pop-up afterparty tied to SZA's newly-launched Not Beauty brand. Even the old heads who were primarily there for Kendrick couldn't help but bop their heads! 'I said, please believe this ain't no pop s—,' Lamar declared before launching into 2012's 'Money Trees.' 'This some rap s— tonight!' Perhaps one of the most incredible pieces of between-song banter to ever be uttered at MetLife Stadium, Lamar's declaration was a true moment in hip-hop history. To stage not one, but two, sold-out rap shows in an iconic stadium that draws crowds from at least three different states — including the birthplace of the genre — with a catalog and setlist that refuses to trade on more conventional pop crossover hits (like Hot 100 top 10 hits 'Bad Blood' and 'Don't Wanna Know') is nothing less than sensational. It's unsurprising that he left his pop concessions off the setlist, but their omissions made the inclusion of real hip-hop heaters like 'Money Trees' and 'Reincarnated' all the more sweet. Last year's mind-blowing battle forced many people to reorder their Greatest of All Time lists, and the Grand National Tour will undoubtedly shake up those rankings even more. Best of Billboard Chart Rewind: In 1989, New Kids on the Block Were 'Hangin' Tough' at No. 1 Janet Jackson's Biggest Billboard Hot 100 Hits H.E.R. & Chris Brown 'Come Through' to No. 1 on Adult R&B Airplay Chart
