Washington - Saba:
NASA has captured a stunning image of a rare black hole, believed to be of intermediate mass, tearing apart a star and causing a cosmic explosion. This event is considered strong evidence of the "missing link" in the evolution of black holes.
Scientists observed the black hole, known as HLX-1, located 450 million light-years from Earth at the outer edge of the galaxy NGC 6099, according to Live Science.
An animation created by the scientists shows the moment the black hole rips apart the star, triggering a deafening explosion.
For his part, Dr. Yi-Chi Chang, head of the research team from National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, explained that "this discovery is like finding a 'missing link' that connects small black holes resulting from collapsing stars and the supermassive black holes that dominate galaxies."
"It gives us a rare glimpse into the evolution of these cosmic monsters," he said.
Intermediate-mass black holes are mysterious and difficult to observe, as they may resemble small black hole clusters or hide behind nearby star clusters.
Scientists caution, however, that HLX-1 needs further study to confirm its nature, as the flashing may be caused by other phenomena, such as fluctuations in the accretion disk surrounding the black hole.
As a new generation of advanced telescopes comes online, astronomers expect to discover more of these mysterious black holes, enhancing our understanding of the universe and the evolution of these massive cosmic phenomena.