Once every 10,000 years or so, the center of a galaxy lights up as its supermassive black hole rips apart a passing star. This “tidal disruption event” happens in a literal flash, as the central black ...

Editor’s note: This article was originally published Aug. 13, 2025, and has been updated to include new text and illustrations featured in the January 2026 issue of Astronomy. Using an artificial ...

A spoonful of this star's matter can weigh a billion tons. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. By developing a new theoretical ...