By Will DunhamWASHINGTON, Feb 5 (Reuters) – Scientists are observing the behavior of a supermassive black hole that is displaying exceptionally messy eating habits.Primarily using radio telescopes in New Mexico and South Africa, they are watching the black hole, residing at the center of a galaxy far beyond our Milky Way, as it continues to belch out a fast-moving jet of material after ripping apart and eating a star that made the mistake of wandering too close.AdvertisementAdvertisementWhat makes this stellar fatal encounter unusual is the intensity and duration of the black hole’s post-meal indigestion.Material left over from the star did not begin shooting into space until two years after it was shredded into its component gases by the black hole’s gravitational forces. But this jet now has been shooting into space for six years – longer than has ever been observed before – and continues to intensify in what has become one of the most powerful single events ever detected in the universe.”The exponential rise in the luminosity of this source is unprecedented. It’s now about 50 times brighter than when it was first discovered, and is now incredibly bright for an object in radio waves. This has been going on for years now, and no sign of stopping. That is super unusual,” said University of Oregon astrophysicist Yvette Cendes, lead author of the study published on Thursday in the Astrophysical Journal.Black holes are exceptionally dense objects with gravity so strong not even light can escape. This black hole is located …
