Summary:
- Astronomers have observed a supermassive black hole tearing apart and consuming a star in a record-breaking flare of energy.
- The event, known as a "tidal disruption event," occurs when a star ventures too close to a black hole and is ripped apart by the intense gravitational forces.
- The energy released during this process is so intense that it can outshine the combined light of all the stars in the host galaxy for a brief period, making it one of the most luminous events in the universe.