Public domain
Infrared Echoes of a Black Hole Eating a Star Illustration
From the collection of NASA Image and Video Library. Free to download, adapt and use — no permission needed.
About this work
This illustration shows a glowing stream of material from a star as it is being devoured by a supermassive black hole in a tidal disruption flare. When a star passes within a certain distance of a black hole -- close enough to be gravitationally disrupted -- the stellar material gets stretched and compressed as it falls into the black hole.
NASA Image and Video Library’s own descriptionSubjects
Credit lineInfrared Echoes of a Black Hole Eating a Star Illustration. NASA/JPL, 2016-09-15. Public domain. ID: PIA20027.
