Ever Wonder What Happens To A Star That Goes Too Close To A Black Hole? The Star Falls In Completely

Ever wonder what happens to a star that goes too close to a black hole? The star falls in completely and everything vanishes....

Well, actually, if the star gets close enough to the black hole, it’s gravity will pull away the outer layers of the star, or disrupt the star. While some of the star will fall into the black hole to never be seen again, most of the star's gas doesn’t fall into it. The gas that survives creates stellar tidal disruption events, which can be as bright as a supernova.

In this artist's illustration, a star has just passed a massive black hole and sheds gas to create the stellar tidal distruption that continues to orbit. The inner edge of a disk of gas and dust surrounding the black hole is heated by the event and may glow long after the star is gone.

Illustration Credit: NASA, JPL-Caltech