Ghost particle from shredded star reveals cosmic particle accelerator (IMAGE)

Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY

Ghost particle from shredded star reveals cosmic particle accelerator

Caption

Smoking gun: After the supermassive black hole tore the star apart, roughly half of the star debris was flung back out into space, while the remainder formed a glowing accretion disc around the black hole. The system shone brightly across many wavelengths and is thought to have produced energetic, jet-like outflows perpendicular to the accretion disc. A central, powerful engine near the accretion disc spewed out these fast subatomic particles.

Credit

Credit: DESY, Science Communication Lab

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