A long time ago (3.9 billion years to be exact) in a galaxy far, far away, a deadly black hole ripped a star to pieces. In 2011, evidence of this was finally detected by NASA’s Swift satellite. Within days, scientists around the world were able to identify the cause of the outburst. While their description has more to do with tidal disruption, one never knows when evil aliens could be to blame.
NASA HOPES TO UNDERSTAND VIOLENT BLACK HOLE
NASA doesn’t quite understand what caused the X-ray flares near the black hole just yet. However, they do know that when a black hole occurs, it’s possible to detect its echo a couple minutes later. This is done with a technique called X-ray reverberation mapping. It’s been used in the past but this is the first time the method has been applied to a disk produced by tidal disruption.
EVIL ALIENS OR SCIENCE?
Using rendered images, NASA was able to detect stellar debris falling towards a black hole. From there, it collects and rotates into a structure known as an accretion disk. The disk that NASA’s satellite picked up was thicker and more violent than stable disks. One major surprise that came from this study is where the x-rays come from. The high-energy rays arise from the innermost part of the disk. Astronomers long thought the energy came from a jet of particles. This specific hole, known as Swift J1644+57 (catchy, right?) is one of just three tidal disruptions that have produced this high-energy x-rays. To date, it’s the only event that’s been caught at the peak of this emission. Are evil aliens to blame?
NASA DENIES EVIL ALIENS
It seems that this time around, evil aliens are not to blame. Science is taking over on this one. For every black hole that now actively acres gas and produces light, astronomers think that nine others are dark and dormant. Additionally, these black holes were active when tech universe was younger and played a major role in how galaxies were formed. Therefore, tidal disruptions like these can help offer a peak of the silent majority of supersized black holes. That being said, if you still want to believe evil aliens are the cause of galactic destruction, by all means, go for it.
