A black hole woke up years after devouring a star

n 2018, a supermassive black hole destroyed a star that ventured too close — a normal tidal disruption event, the kind astronomers have now observed over a hundred times. They recorded it, studied it, and moved on.

But years later, something unexpected happened: that same black hole, nicknamed “Jetty McJetface” by scientists (AT2018hyz), started emitting a radio jet 50 times more powerful than before. No one expected a black hole to “reactivate” like that, long after devouring its victim.

The most likely explanation: not all of the star’s material fell into the black hole right away. Part of that stellar debris stayed in orbit and only began falling in and feeding the black hole years later, triggering that sudden burst of energy.

This means a black hole can “echo” a meal it had years ago, lighting up again when we least expect it.

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