Scientists have recorded the brightest flare ever observed from a supermassive black hole — a celestial explosion that blazed with the light of 10 trillion suns.
The event, discovered by California’s Palomar Observatory in 2018, is believed to have occurred when a large star strayed too close to a black hole and was violently torn apart. The flare reached its peak after three months before gradually fading, according to a study published in Nature Astronomy.
Lead author Matthew Graham of the California Institute of Technology said the energy levels were initially so extreme that researchers questioned their accuracy. The flare came from a black hole located about 10 billion light-years away — the farthest such event ever detected, offering insights into the early universe.
Supermassive black holes sit at the centers of nearly all galaxies, but their origins remain uncertain. Studying these flares helps scientists understand how they interact with surrounding stars and gas, shaping galaxies over cosmic time.
Harvard astrophysicist Joseph Michail, who was not involved in the study, said the discovery opens “a window into how supermassive black holes influenced their environments during the universe’s youth.”
