Scots witnesses in stellar whodunit

Published on 03/05/2012 01:55

SCOTTISH astronomers have helped to gather the most direct evidence yet of a supermassive black hole shredding a star that wandered too close.

Supermassive black holes, weighing millions to billions times more than the sun, lurk at the centres of most galaxies. Stars may be ripped apart by their powerful gravitational clutches.

Astronomers have spotted these events before, but this is the first time they can identify the victim. A team of astronomers, including researchers from the University of Edinburgh, identified it as a star rich in helium gas in a galaxy 2.7 billion light-years away. The scientists say the observation yields insights about the harsh environment around black holes and the types of stars swirling around them. The results appear in the online edition of the journal, Nature.