Black Hole Devours Star in Cosmic Whippet | Science News

A black hole just turned a massive star into cosmic Pac-Man snack, shredding it in an explosion 400 billion times brighter than our sun—scientists call it “The Whippet,” and it’s rewriting the rules of how black holes devour their prey. First spotted by Anna Ho, this blinding blue blast spewed X-rays and defied expectations: no usual chemical signatures at first, but later traces of helium racing at 6,000 km/s. Could it be a surviving stellar core—or a hidden third player getting blasted? This rare cosmic feast is giving astronomers a front-row seat to black hole feasts like never before. Listen in comfort:Get a discount on a Soli Pillow: http://solipillow.com/discount/dnn. Advertise on DNN:[email protected] This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.Report issues to [email protected]. View sources & latest updates:https://sources.thednn.ai/3f588eab7a750007