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Strange X-Ray Bursts Arise From Black Holes Eating Stars

Thanks to a new detector, astronomers are watching closely for brief eruptions of energy in the sky. They say they've found something particularly gruesome, in stellar terms.

By Matt Hrodey
Sep 12, 2023 1:00 PM
An optical image of the galaxy where the transient event occurred, taken from archival PanSTARRS data
An optical image of the galaxy in which the new event occurred. The X-ray object was located somewhere inside the dashed circle. (Credit: Daniele B. Malesani / PanSTARRS)

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In recent years, scientists have puzzled over a particular class of transients – bursts of intense X-rays and light shot from distant galactic centers.

Now, astronomers have discovered a new X-ray transient and are offering an explanation for these outbursts. The new find – located at the center of a galaxy some 500 million light-years away – is early fruit for a new transient detection system that feeds off data produced by the Swift Observatory X-ray telescope.

What Are Transients?

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