Supermassive Black Hole Eats Star, Spews Bright Gamma-Ray Flares

Flashing gamma rays observed in March from a supermassive black hole have been traced to a star falling into the massive black hole and being ripped apart, astronomers say. On March 28, NASA's Swift spacecraft initially observed the gamma-ray emission through its Burst Alert Telescope. The gamma-rays were were traced to constellation Draco when it erupted with the first in a series of powerful X-ray blasts. The satellite determined a position for the explosion, now cataloged as gamma-ray burst (GRB) 110328A, and informed astronomers worldwide. Astronomers initially thought it was an emission of gamma rays from a dying star - a normal phenomenon, but were surprised as they have ever seen anything this bright, long-lasting and variable before. Usually, gamma-ray bursts mark the destruction of a massive star, but flaring emission from these events never lasts more than a few hours. Astronomers soon realized that it wasn't a typical gamma-ray burst at all when the bright gamma rays sustained for weeks. They found that a high-energy jet produced as a star about the size of our sun was shredded by a black hole a million times more massive.  link