Scientists Say Simulations Like This Are Our Only Way To Study This Phenomenon

Watch a Star Get Destroyed by a Supermassive Black Hole in the First Simulation of its Kind

Scientists say simulations like this are our only way to study this phenomenon

For the first time, astronomers have witnessed a supermassive black hole devouring a star using computer simulations. The simulation shows the black hole stretching and warping the star into a long, thin stream of matter.

A black hole's strong gravity can stretch a star

The simulation, published in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, shows how a supermassive black hole's strong gravitational pull can stretch a star into a long, thin stream of matter. This process is known as spaghettification.

As the star is stretched, it heats up and emits powerful X-rays. These X-rays can be detected by telescopes, allowing astronomers to study the process of spaghettification in real time.

• The simulation shows that the star is stretched into a long, thin stream of matter.
• The stream of matter is then pulled into the black hole's event horizon.
• The star is then destroyed by the black hole's gravity.

This simulation is the first of its kind, and it provides astronomers with a new way to study the process of spaghettification.