Read, Watch or Listen

Astronomers have detected a rare event called AT2024tvd, a tidal disruption event caused by a wandering supermassive black hole tearing apart a nearby star. The black hole, located 600 million light-years away, isn't at the center of its host galaxy, unlike most supermassive black holes. This discovery, made possible by the bright flare produced during the disruption, provides a new way to find elusive wandering black holes. The event suggests the galaxy previously merged with another, leaving the rogue black hole adrift within the galactic bulge. Future studies using tidal disruption events are expected to uncover more such wandering black holes.

Prepared by Olivia Bennett and reviewed by editorial team.