Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope have uncovered the first direct evidence of a wandering supermassive black hole in action, tearing a star to shreds in a tidal disruption event (TDE) 600 million light-years away. This black hole, known as AT2024tvd, was found far from its galaxy’s center, challenging the conventional understanding that these giants reside solely in galactic cores. The findings, which have been extensively detailed by NASA and UC Berkeley researchers, have the potential to change how scientists search for and study black holes, particularly those that are not confined to the galactic center.
The discovery was made possible by a collaboration between ground-based and space telescopes, including the Zwicky Transient Facility and Hubble. The black hole was found 2,600 light-years from the galaxy’s core, which is home to a far more massive black hole—about 100 million times the mass of the Sun. This is the first time astronomers have identified such an event so far from the galaxy’s center, opening up a new chapter in our understanding of rogue supermassive black holes.
Tidal disruption events are relatively rare and occur when a star gets too close to a black hole and is torn apart by its immense gravity—a process often described as “spaghettification.” The intense gravity stretches and distorts the star into a long, thin shape like a strand of spaghetti. This event typically results in a flare of light, visible across various wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, from X-rays to radio waves.
The current event is groundbreaking because, for the first time, astronomers have captured such an occurrence from a black hole situated far from the galaxy’s center. As lead study author Yuhan Yao from the University of California at Berkeley notes, this event opens up the potential for future surveys to detect additional rogue black holes in other galaxies.
“I think this discovery will motivate scientists to look for more examples of this type of event,” Yao said. “AT2024tvd is the first offset TDE captured by optical sky surveys, and it opens up the entire possibility of uncovering this elusive population of wandering black holes with future sky surveys.”
Science: NASA, ESA, STScI, Yuhan Yao (UC Berkeley); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)
Rogue Black Holes: An Unexpected Find
While the presence of multiple black holes in a single galaxy isn’t surprising—especially considering that many galaxies collide and merge over cosmic timescales—the discovery of one so far from its galactic center is truly remarkable. Astronomers have long speculated that there may be wandering black holes, rogue supermassive black holes, scattered across galaxies. However, until now, finding evidence of them had proven challenging. This discovery represents a significant step forward in the search for rogue black holes and provides new tools for tracking them down in the future.
“This discovery is significant because it points to a population of black holes that we didn’t even know existed, or at least we had little evidence for,” said Ryan Chornock, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. “Theorists have predicted that a population of massive black holes located away from the centers of galaxies must exist, but now we can use TDEs to find them.”
What Caused This Black Hole to Wander?
The black hole’s unusual position raises intriguing questions about its origin. How did it end up so far from the center of the galaxy? One possibility is that it was ejected from the galactic core during a violent interaction between multiple black holes. Alternatively, it could be the remnant of a smaller galaxy that merged with the larger galaxy over a billion years ago.
If this rogue black hole was indeed a remnant of such a merger, it may eventually drift back toward the galaxy’s center and eventually merge with the much larger black hole already residing there. Such a merger would result in the release of gravitational waves, ripples in spacetime that could be detected by future space-based observatories like the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), which is set to launch in 2035.
The Future of Rogue Black Hole Discovery
This discovery highlights the exciting potential for future research into rogue supermassive black holes. The identification of AT2024tvd is just the beginning. As astronomers continue to use sky surveys to scan the heavens, more examples of rogue black holes could be uncovered, providing further insights into the dynamic and chaotic nature of the universe.
Yuhan Yao’s words highlight the significance of this event: “Right now, theorists haven’t given much attention to offset TDEs. I think this discovery will motivate scientists to look for more examples of this type of event.”
Astronomers are excited by the possibility that this discovery could lead to an entirely new field of study, focusing on wandering black holes that were previously undetectable. With the advent of more advanced technologies and observatories, this breakthrough may just be the tip of the iceberg in the search for hidden black holes across the universe.