The black hole AT2018hyz emits an extremely powerful Jetty McJetface jet after swallowing a star, its energy continuously increasing.
Scientists say a stream of energy emanating from a previously studied supermassive black hole is becoming brighter and stronger over time, making it one of the most energetic phenomena in the universe.
This jet of energy has been nicknamed 'Jetty McJetface' . It originates from the black hole AT2018hyz , which was discovered in 2018 after it swallowed a passing star. The black hole's immense gravitational pull tore apart the star in a process called 'spaghettification' (the stretching of matter into a noodle-like form). During this process, the black hole released a powerful jet of energy.
Remarkably, nearly four years after the 'star-swallowing' event, this beam of light has not weakened but has actually become stronger.
According to astrophysicist Yvette Cendes (University of Oregon), who led the study published on February 5 in The Astrophysical Journal :
'This phenomenon is truly unusual. It's very rare to see an event where energy gradually increases and lasts for such a long period of time.'
The phenomenon of "noodle transformation" has never generated such powerful energy.
Scientists have previously observed numerous instances of a star being torn apart by a black hole when it got too close. However, the energy level recorded by Jetty McJetface this time is unprecedented.
Analysis of the radio waves emitted from the beam revealed:
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The black hole is now about 50 times brighter than it was in 2019.
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The energy output is at least a trillion times greater than that of the 'Death Star' Battle Station in the Star Wars films.
New predictive models suggest that the intensity of radio waves from black holes will continue to increase exponentially and could peak in 2027 .
Why weren't the stars visible before?
The research team suggests that radiation from the torn-apart star may be being blown in a single direction, and that direction is most likely not toward Earth . This could explain why astronomers initially did not clearly observe the star near the black hole.
However, scientists say more data is needed to confirm this hypothesis.
What does the name 'Jetty McJetface' mean?
This nickname is a play on words, inspired by the famous British research vessel 'Boaty McBoatface', which was chosen as the name in an online survey about 10 years ago.