'It's so much of an outlier; its characteristics are terrifying!'
They used big data and AI software to analyze massive amounts of sky survey data in order to pinpoint the event, which was first observed in 2020. Though it's extremely bright, the transient is also extremely far away, which accounts for the fact it was not noticed before by astronomers.
According to the researchers, Scary Barbie is orders of magnitude brighter and more energetic than any transient ever observed. Not only that, but it is also lasting a lot longer than the typical transient — most last weeks or months, but Scary Barbie has so far lasted over two years. Interestingly, the scientists behind the discovery believe the event itself lasted a much shorter time. We have likely been able to see it for over two years due to the law of relativity, which slows down light as it travels across space, making it seem like it lasts for a longer time.
"We think a very supermassive black hole pulled in a star and ripped it apart,” Subrayan explained. "The forces around a black hole, called tidal disruption, pull other objects apart in a process called 'spaghettification.' We think that's what happened but on extreme time scales: The most massive of black holes ripping apart a massive star. The duration is unlike anything we've ever seen before, and it produced the most luminous transient in the universe.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Astronomers try to catch titanic black hole clashes in actionAstronomers continue to search for the ultimate cosmic face-off: a pair of supermassive black holes, each with a mass of millions of Suns, warily circling each other and spiraling toward a titanic clash.
Read more »
Astronomers pull in record haul of 25 new repeating 'fast radio bursts'The discovery doubles the known population of these repeating super-energetic cosmic explosions.
Read more »
Igniting Unrivaled Brilliance: Astronomers Solve 60-Year Mystery of Quasars – The Most Powerful Objects in the UniverseScientists have unlocked one of the biggest mysteries of quasars – the brightest, most powerful objects in the Universe – by discovering that they are ignited by galaxies colliding. First discovered 60 years ago, quasars can shine as brightly as a trillion stars packed into a volume the size of
Read more »
Astronomers snap 1st-ever direct image of a black hole blasting out a powerful jet (photo, video)The jet is flowing from the monstrous supermassive black hole at the heart of Messier 87, which was also the first black hole ever directly imaged.
Read more »
Supermassive black hole jets imaged for first time | Digital TrendsFor the first time, astronomers have imaged a supermassive black hole expelling an enormous jet of matter at tremendous speed.
Read more »