Mysterious Cosmic Blasts Linked to Black Holes Shredding Stars

Recent findings reveal that mysterious bright blue cosmic blasts are likely caused by black holes shredding stars, challenging previous assumptions about stellar explosions. According to Space.com, the brightest cosmic object identified, a Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient known as AT 2024wpp, was discovered to result from extreme Tidal Disruption Events, or TDEs, where a black hole up to 100 times the mass of the sun completely disintegrates a companion star in mere days.

This event emits around 100 times the energy of an average supernova, indicating that conventional models of stellar explosions do not apply to these occurrences. The research team, which includes Natalie LeBaron from the University of California, Berkeley, suggests that the LFBOTs like AT 2024wpp are distinct due to their immense energy output, which is thought to arise when a star, likely a Wolf-Rayet star nearing the end of its life, is spaghettified and collides with material previously captured by the black hole.

This discovery underlines the need for further exploration into the nature and implications of these cosmic phenomena.