OMG science
fromNature
5 days agoA star gone rogue tears through the Galaxy
Rogue stars likely get flung by the Milky Way’s central black hole and can probe the chemistry of their origin regions.
Scientists have described a 'superflare' from a distant black hole - the most luminous burst of light ever detected from such an object. At its peak, the blaze shone more than 10 trillion times brighter than the Sun and was probably triggered by the black hole's gravity shredding a star that was at least 30 times as massive as the Sun. The flash also seems to be the farthest ever detected at roughly 10 billion light years away from our Solar System.
But this new one, dubbed GRB 250702B, blows everything we know about these fearsome blasts out the water. For starters, it lasted a staggering seven hours, which is vastly longer than they typically do. And it also appeared to repeat several times over its run, which shouldn't be possible. A GRB is produced by the total obliteration of a star, so how could the same source emit multiple blasts?
The Black Hole, a longtime fan group of the Las Vegas Raiders, is back in the Bay Area -- approximately 11 miles north of its former home in Oakland. On Wednesday, the California Golden Bears announced that a section in the south end zone of California Memorial Stadium would be designated as "The Black Bear" going forward, seating fans who purchase a ticket via the group's link on Cal's website.