Archive · 2 Aug 2025
Black Hole Eats Star Twice: A Cosmic Surprise for Scientists
Imagine a giant vacuum cleaner (a black hole) that sucks up stars.
Usually, a star gets completely destroyed.
But, scientists saw a star get partly eaten, then wander off, and come back for seconds!
This happened two years later.
It seems the black hole didn't finish the job the first time.
Scientists now think some 'star-eating' events might be like this, and they're watching to see if the star comes back a third time.
This could change how we understand these cosmic monsters.
Astronomers observed a black hole consuming the same star twice, two years apart.
The first encounter partially disrupted the star, leaving some of it intact.
The surviving portion of the star later returned and was fully consumed.
The event may lead to a re-evaluation of how scientists interpret stellar disruptions.
Researchers are watching for a potential third flare in early 2026.
- Who
- Astronomers from Tel Aviv University and other researchers.
- What
- A black hole consumed the same star twice.
- When
- The first event was observed two years prior to the second.
- Where
- At the center of a galaxy.
- Why
- To understand black hole behavior and stellar disruption.
Initial Understanding
Revised Understanding
Event Interpretation
Initial Understanding
Full stellar disruption.
Revised Understanding
Partial stellar disruption.
- Black Hole Behavior
- Consuming the same star twice
- Event Name
- AT 2022dbl
- Study Published
- The Astrophysical Journal Letters
- Researcher Affiliation
- Tel Aviv University
- Expected Flare
- Likely a third flare in early 2026