Hidden Black Hole Feeds on Unstable Star to Fake 27 Supernovas

For fifteen years, astronomers puzzled over an object on the edge of a distant spiral galaxy that appeared to explode like a dying star again and again. Each time the bright flash faded, the star remained intact, continuing to burst into light every 113 days. Researchers using NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory finally tracked down the cause of these repeated false alarms.

A Cosmic Vampire on an Orbit

The object, known as AT 2016blu, is a luminous blue variable. These are extremely massive, highly unstable stars that frequently shed material into space. Observations revealed that the star has a hidden companion—either a stellar-mass black hole or a neutron star—moving around it in an elliptical orbit.

Every 113 days, the compact companion swings close enough to pull material away from the unstable star using its strong gravity. The stolen matter swirls into a fast-moving disk and heats up, producing a powerful blast of X-rays. This high-energy radiation then heats up surrounding gas clouds, causing them to glow brightly in visible light and trick observers into thinking a supernova has occurred.

Massive Energy Transfer

Calculations show that the compact object strips away a massive amount of material each year. This rapid feeding process exceeds normal limits and unleashes extreme energies. The findings may also help scientists better understand ultra-luminous X-ray sources, another rare and mysterious space phenomenon.