Scientists spot the brightest flare yet from a supermassive black hole

Scientists have spotted the brightest flare ever produced by a black hole. It was first spotted in 2018 by a camera at the Palomar Observatory in California. The cosmic explosion likely occurred because a large star got too close to the black hole and was blown into pieces. It took about three months to shine at its peak brightness, or about the light of 10 trillion suns. Almost all large galaxies, including our Milky Way, have a supermassive black hole at their center. Studying these giants can help researchers understand the stellar neighborhood around them. The research was published Tuesday in the journal Nature Astronomy.