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Massive Black Hole Flare Shines 10 Trillion Suns Bright

11/7/2025

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Summary

Story summary

Astronomers detected the largest and most distant flare from a supermassive black hole, located about 10 billion light-years away.
The flare, nicknamed "Superman," peaked at brightness equal to 10 trillion suns, about 30 times more luminous than any prior black hole flare.
The event likely resulted from a tidal disruption of a star over 30 solar masses by the black hole, and the findings appear in Nature Astronomy.

History

Historical Context

The discovery of Cygnus X-1 in 1972 marked the first strong evidence of a black hole, identified through X-ray emissions from its binary system with the supergiant star HDE 226868. This finding, part of the "golden age of black hole research," laid the groundwork for understanding black holes, culminating in the detection of supermassive black holes, such as Sagittarius A*, at the centers of galaxies.

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Story summary

Astronomers detected the largest and most distant flare from a supermassive black hole, located about 10 billion light-years away.
The flare, nicknamed "Superman," peaked at brightness equal to 10 trillion suns, about 30 times more luminous than any prior black hole flare.
The event likely resulted from a tidal disruption of a star over 30 solar masses by the black hole, and the findings appear in Nature Astronomy.

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