NASA Hubble Spots Rare Wandering Black Hole Tearing Apart Star

Rahul Somvanshi

A massive black hole caught snacking on a star, but here's the twist - it's in the wrong place.

Photo Source: 852278-MCS (CC BY-SA 4.0)

This cosmic giant weighs 1 million times our Sun's mass and lurks 2,600 light-years from where it should be.

Photo Source: NASA Hubble (CC BY 2.0)

Why would a black hole leave its galaxy's center? Scientists found two possible answers.

Photo Source: Stuart Rankin (CC BY-NC 2.0)

The star never stood a chance - stretched like spaghetti before being devoured in a brilliant flash of light.

Photo Source: European South Observatory (CC BY 2.0)

This wandering black hole shares its galaxy with another monster - 100 times bigger than itself.

Photo Source: LIGO Laboratory (CC BY 4.0)

A black hole catches dinner once every 30,000 years. We caught this one in the act

Photo Source: European South Observatory (CC BY 2.0)

Hubble Space Telescope's sharp eyes spotted something never seen before in 100 similar events

Photo Source: Hubble ESA (CC BY 2.0)

The cosmic feast created a flash as bright as an exploding star - but this was no supernova

Photo Credits: ESO/M. Kornmesser (CC BY 4.0)

The wandering black hole might be a survivor from when two galaxies crashed together billions of years ago

Photo Source: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA (CC BY 4.0)

Or it got kicked out after a three-way cosmic wrestling match with other black holes

Photo Source: NASA Goddard Photo (CC BY 2.0)

This discovery opens the hunt for more black holes roaming through space

Photo Source: NASA Goddard Photo (CC BY 2.0)

What happens when this wanderer finally meets its bigger cousin at the galaxy's heart?

Photo Source: NASA Universe (CC BY 2.0)