&w=3840&q=100)
NASA's Hubble telescope finds blackhole that swallowed star 600 mn yrs ago
Hubble and other telescopes confirms
The Hubble Space Telescope managed to capture this rare cosmic moment, known as a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE). NASA also confirmed the discovery using two other tools: the Chandra X-ray Observatory and the Very Large Array radio telescope.
Sharing the image on X (formerly Twitter), NASA wrote, "A black hole revealed itself from 600 million light-years away when it ripped apart and swallowed a star. The resulting burst of radiation is the bright dot just off-centre captured in this @NASAHubble image."
A black hole revealed itself from 600 million light-years away when it ripped apart and swallowed a star. The resulting burst of radiation is the bright dot just off-center captured in this @NASAHubble image. https://t.co/g7mSVRZHd1 pic.twitter.com/7FnDsSmCb2
— NASA (@NASA) May 8, 2025
Big step in black hole research
Yuhan Yao, the lead researcher from the University of California, Berkeley, said this event — named AT2024tvd — is special because it's the first TDE spotted slightly away from the center of a galaxy by optical sky surveys. This could help scientists find a new group of so-called 'wandering black holes' in future space studies.
She added, 'Right now, theorists haven't paid much attention to these offset TDEs. I believe this discovery will inspire more research into these unusual black hole events.'
What is a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE)?
A TDE happens when a star comes too close to a black hole. The black hole's powerful gravity pulls the star apart — a process called "spaghettification" because the star gets stretched into long, thin pieces.
These remains swirl around the black hole and heat up, releasing bursts of energy. These bursts can be seen from Earth through visible and ultraviolet light using powerful telescopes.
Why does it matter?
Ryan Chornock, a professor at UC Berkeley and a member of the ZTF research team, explained that TDEs help scientists detect massive black holes that would otherwise remain hidden. 'Tidal disruption events hold great promise for illuminating the presence of massive black holes that we would otherwise not be able to detect,' he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
United News of India
an hour ago
- United News of India
Creating history, Indian astro and three other AX 4 ISS mission crew set for splashdown
Chennai, July 15 (UNI) As the entire world is waiting with bated breadth, the four member crew of Axiom Mission AX-4 piloted by decorated Indian astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla and three others are all set for a spectacular splashdown iff California coast today afternoon at around 3.00 PM IST, marking culmination of their 18 day Space odyssey at the Interntional Space Station (ISS). The crew which took off from Florida on June 25, conducted about 60 experiments, including seven by India's Shux, undocked from ISS yesterday evening after boarding the spacecraft marking their embarkment journey towards home. After a 22.5 hr home return journey the spacecraft after undergoing several manouvres will splashdown at Pacific Ocean off California coast, heralding new horizons in space exploration of the four crews from India, US, Hungary and Poland further cooperation in future missions. This was for the first time an Indian astronaut had travelled to the ISS after 41 years emulating Rakesh Sharma in 1984, who became the first India to travel to space. After their successful tenture at ISS, during which ISRO said all experiments were successful, and after a brief 10-minute delay due to some final technical checks, the four member crew undocked on its return journey to earth NASA said the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft undocked at 7:15 a.m. EDT (4.45 PM IST) from the space-facing port of the International Space Station's Harmony module, completing the fourth private astronaut mission to the orbiting laboratory, Axiom Mission 4 (Ax-4). Dragon slowly maneuvered away from the station into an orbital track that will mark the return of the crew and its cargo safely to Earth, targeting a splashdown off the coast of California today afternoon. After a 22.5 hour journey, the crew will land at around 3.15 pm. The Dragon spacecraft will be returning with more than 580 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and data from over 60 experiments conducted during the mission. "The four-member Axiom Mission-4 astronaut crew undocked from the space-facing port of the station's Harmony module aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft and began their return to Earth and splashdown off the coast of California", it said. NASA said the departure operations commenced with the hatch closing at 4:30 a.m EDT yesterday. The 4-member crew--Peggy Whitson, former NASA astronaut and director of human spaceflight at Axiom Space, ISRO (Indian Space Research Organization) astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, who piloted the mission on June 25 when it took off from Florida, ESA (European Space Agency) project astronaut Sławosz Uznański-Wiśniewski of Poland, and HUNOR (Hungarian to Orbit) astronaut Tibor Kapu of Hungary, had spent about two weeks in space during their mission. Crew entered spacecraft and it was followed by hatch closing, leading to commencement of their journey and re-entry to earth and splashdown after undergoing orbital manouvers. After spending 18 days at the ISS, Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and his Ax-4 crew departed from the orbiting laboratory on onboard the SpaceX Dragon. Yesterday, the Ax-4 crew members' return journey to earth commenced at 4.45 p.m. IST as the Dragon autonomously undocked from the forward-facing port of the ISS's Harmony module and would conclude with a splashdown off the California coast today. 'After approximately 433 hours, 18 days, and 288 orbits around earth covering nearly 7.6 million miles since docking at the ISS , the Ax-4 crew is officially homeward bound,' Axiom Space said. According to Space X, which posted the minute details of splashdwon, there are seven phases the Dragon spacecraft will encounter on its return journey to earth. Started with departure burns, where the Dragon will perform four small burns to move away from the ISS, these burns were successfully executed and it was followed by the phasing burns in which the Dragon will perform a series of orbit-lowering manoeuvrers that will line up its ground track with the desired landing location. The next would be the Deorbit burn, which is scheduled at 2.07 p.m. IST (1.37 a.m. PT) today. In this phase, the spacecraft conducts the deorbit burn for up to 24 minutes. SpaceX said after the spacecraft deorbit burns are completed, the flight computer jettisons the trunk to safely splash down in the Pacific Ocean ahead of atmospheric re-entry. The next phase is the re-entry phase during which the Dragon experiences significant heating and drag as it re-enters earth's atmosphere which slows the velocity to the point of safe parachute deployment. The penultimate phase is where the parachutes deploy. 'The Dragon's two drogue parachutes deploy at 55 km above the Pacific Ocean, followed by four main parachutes that deploy at 2 km,' SpaceX said. In the final splashdown phase under four main parachutes, the Dragon will splashdown at a velocity of 27 kmph and autonomously releases its parachutes. A Space X recovery vessel will pick up the crew from the sea afgter which they will undergo their first medical checks onboard the recovery vessel before flying on a helicopter back to land. From there, the crew will be flown to Houston where they will be reunited with their respective teams. According to ISRO, Group Captain Shukla will undergo a rehabilitation programme for about a week under the supervision of flight surgeons to adapt back to earth's gravity. ISRO in an update said "Post splashdown, the Gaganyatri will undergo a rehabilitation program (about 7 days) under supervision of Flight Surgeon to adapt back to Earth's gravity". "ISRO's flight surgeons are continuously monitoring and ensuring the overall health and fitness of the Gaganyatri Shux through participation in private medical/psychological conferences and he was in good health and in high spirit". Space X in its website said "On Monday, July 14 at 7:15 a.m. ET, Dragon autonomously undocked from the International Space Station. After performing a series of departure burns to move away from the space station, Dragon will conduct multiple orbit-lowering maneuvers, jettison the trunk, and re-enter Earth's atmosphere for splashdown off the coast of California 22.5 hours later at approximately 2:31 a.m. PT on Tuesday, July 15." "Aboard the spacecraft will be Ax-4 astronauts who flew to the space station on Dragon when Falcon 9 launched the spacecraft from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida on June 25 at 2:31 a.m. ET", it said and detailed the seven phases of deorbiting manouvres that would lead to the splashdown. A collaboration between NASA and ISRO allowed Axiom Mission 4 to deliver on a commitment highlighted by President Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to send the first ISRO astronaut to the station. The space agencies participated in five joint science investigations and two in-orbit science, technology, engineering, and mathematics demonstrations. NASA and ISRO have a long-standing relationship built on a shared vision to advance scientific knowledge and expand space collaboration. The private mission also carried the first astronauts from Poland and Hungary to stay aboard the space station. The International Space Station is a springboard for developing a low Earth orbit economy. NASA's goal is to achieve a strong economy off the Earth where the agency can purchase services as one of many customers to meet its science and research objectives in microgravity. NASA's commercial strategy for low Earth orbit provides the government with reliable and safe services at a lower cost, enabling the agency to focus on Artemis missions to the Moon in preparation for Mars while also continuing to use low Earth orbit as a training and proving ground for those deep space missions. UNI GV 0630
News18
an hour ago
- News18
'Looks Little Chaotic, But Works': How Astronauts Take Pictures In Space? Watch Here
Last Updated: The video was shared by Colonel Anne McClain, in which the struggles of astronauts to pose mid-air on the Axiom-4 mission were captured. How does astronauts take pictures in space? A video featuring Indian astronaut Group Captain Subhanshu Shukla from the International Space Station (ISS) is going viral on social media, in which the Ax-4 crew can be seen attempting to take group photos in microgravity. The video was shared by Colonel Anne McClain, in which the struggles of astronauts to pose mid-air on the Axiom-4 mission were captured. 'How do we take group photos in space? We cannot ask a passerby for help, so we set up a camera to take a photo every 5 seconds, get in position, then stop to smile at the camera. Looks a little chaotic, but it works!" McClain wrote on X. How do we take group photos in space? We cannot ask a passerby for help, so we set up a camera to take a photo every 5 seconds, get in position, then stop to smile at the camera. Looks a little chaotic, but it works! — COL Anne McClain (@AstroAnnimal) July 14, 2025 The Ax-4 crew, comprising Commander Peggy Whitson, Pilot Shubhanshu Shukla of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), European Space Agency (ESA) project astronaut Slawosz 'Suave" Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Hungarian to Orbit (HUNOR) astronaut Tibor Kapu, had been actively engaged in research and outreach activities aboard the ISS as part of the mission during the past 18-days. As per NASA, the Dragon spacecraft will return to Earth with more than 580 pounds of cargo, including NASA hardware and data from over 60 experiments conducted during the mission. Axiom Mission 4 was launched on June 25 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Centre in Florida. The Dragon 'Grace' spacecraft carrying India's Subhanshu Shukla, along with three other astronauts, undocked from the space station at 4:45 pm IST on Monday and is expected to splash down near the coast of California on Tuesday at 3.01 pm IST. view comments First Published: July 15, 2025, 12:24 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
an hour ago
- First Post
Axiom-4 mission: The 7 India-specific experiments Shubhanshu Shukla did in space
Axiom-4 was not merely an exploratory mission but a thoroughly scientific mission as astronauts conducted a host of experiments in the space. Here are the seven Indian experiments that Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla conducted at the International Space Sation (ISS). The main idea behind those experiments was to understand how space interacts with the life as we know it. read more Group Captain Shukla is the first Indian to go to the International Space Station (ISS) and only the second Indian to go to space. (Photo: Nasa/PTI) Axiom-4 was not mere merely an exploratory mission, but a thoroughly scientific mission that saw more than 60 experiments conducted at the International Space Station (ISS). Seven of those experiments were designed by Indian institutes. With his flight to space, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla did not just script by becoming the first Indian to go to the ISS and only the second Indian to go to space, but he also laid the foundation for India's human spaceflight ambitions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD The experiments that Shukla and his fellow astronauts —Commander Peggy Whitson of the United States, Sławosz Uznanski-Wisniewski of Poland, and Tibor Kapu of Hungary— conducted were intended to understand the effect of space's microgravity on humans and other living organisms. The idea was to understand how space interacts with life. ALSO READ: As Shubhanshu Shukla goes to space, India marks new chapter in spacefaring 'For India, the experiments at Axiom-4 will provide learnings that will go into supporting India's Gaganyaan, space station, and lunar landing programmes. Axiom-4 is a befitting follow-up to Wing Commander Rakesh Sharma's mission in 1984. Decade after mastering the basics, India has now advanced to bold scientific endeavours in space,' said Prof. Aloke Kumar, who heads a lab working on space applications at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru. Here are the seven Indian experiments that Shukla took with him to the ISS. An experiment to understand the impact of microgravity radiation edible microalgae developed by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB) and National Institute of Plant Genome Research (NIPGR) of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) An experiment for sprouting salad seeds in Space with relevance to crew nutrition developed by the University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad, and Indian Institute of Technology, Dharwad. An experiment to understand the survival, revival, reproduction, and transcriptome of the eutardigrade paramacrobiotus, specially the BLR strain, in space, developed by IISc eutardigrade paramacrobiotus are a type of tardigrades, an eight-legged microorganism known for their extraordinary resilience, surviving in temperatures in the 0-150*C range and surviving radiation and even space vacuum. An experiment to understand the effect of metabolic supplements on muscle regeneration under microgravity developed by Institute of Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine under the DBT. An experiment to analyse human interaction with electronic displays in microgravity developed by IISc. An experiment to understand the comparative growth and proteomics responses of cyanobacteria on urea and nitrate in microgravity developed by the International Centre for Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology (ICGEB). An experiment to understand the impact of microgravity on growth and yield parameters in food crop seeds developed by the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Dept. of Space, and College of Agriculture, Vellayani, Kerala Agricultural University. Prof. Kumar of IISc Bengalore, who is also the MTech advisor of Shukla, previously told Firstpost that one needs to stay humble despite the excitement as space is completely unforgiving. 'The main purpose of Axiom 4 and other such missions is to learn about space. We should stay humble despite accomplishments as the space is completely unforgiving. We are aiming to learn as much as possible before taking major leaps like going to the Moon or setting up our space station,' said Kumar.
