Was that supermassive black hole in the process of tearing a star apart, or is it consuming matter as part of its routine?

When observing phenomena around a supermassive black hole, particularly one at the center of a galaxy, two intriguing events might be taking place. The first is known as a tidal disruption event (TDE), which occurs when a star comes too close to a black hole and is torn apart by the black hole’s immense gravitational […]

What is the luminosity of the Quasar located at the center of Messier 77?

Messier 77, also known as NGC 1068, is a barred spiral galaxy situated approximately 47 million light-years away from Earth in the constellation Cetus. At its core, it hosts a quasar, which is an extremely luminous active galactic nucleus powered by a supermassive black hole. Quasars are known for their exceptional brightness, often outshining their […]