AI Insight
Astronomers have discovered stars that repeatedly pass close to supermassive black holes, surviving multiple encounters while generating bursts of light with each approach. In some cases, these flares diminish in brightness with each subsequent pass. Researchers propose that stars with extremely high rotation rates before capture may explain both the fading light patterns and the unusual orbital trajectories that bring them so close to black holes.
Why it matters
This discovery advances our understanding of extreme stellar dynamics near supermassive black holes and could help astronomers better predict and identify these rare recurring events. The findings may also provide new insights into how stars behave under the most extreme gravitational conditions in the universe.
Understand the Science
Astronomers have found stars that repeatedly skim past supermassive black holes, surviving each encounter while producing a new burst of light. In some systems, those flares mysteriously fade with every return. Researchers now think the key may be stars that were already spinning extremely fast before being captured. That rapid rotation could explain both the fading flares and how the stars ended up in such extraordinarily tight black hole orbits.
Source: Black holes keep tearing these stars apart, but they survive