Summary:
- Astronomers have observed a black hole ripping apart and consuming a star that wandered too close to it. This event is known as a "tidal disruption event."
- The observations suggest this black hole is a "missing link" between smaller, stellar-mass black holes and the supermassive black holes found at the centers of galaxies.
- The data collected from this tidal disruption event can help scientists better understand the growth and evolution of black holes, as well as the processes that occur when a black hole consumes matter.