It is believed that one of the toughest end of life for a star is its approaching too close to a supermassive black hole and subsequent rupture under the influence of colossal gravitational forces. Recent studies by scientists indicate that this type of stellar death may be much more common than they previously thought.
Until now, the absorption of stars by black holes has been observed in huge stellar systems encompassing thousands of galaxies. Because of this, astronomers believed that these extreme events are incredibly rare and appear to occur only once in a galaxy between 10,000 and 100,000 years.
However, a team from the University of Sheffield in the UK has found indications that such catastrophic events are occurring for 10 years in one in 15 galaxies.
If they are correct, then, subject to certain conditions, this definition suggests that the probability of a star being absorbed by a black hole could be 100 times more likely than previously thought.
“Each of these 15 galaxies is experiencing a cosmic collision with a neighboring galaxy,” – said study author, astronomer James Mulney. 'Our results indicate that the likelihood of a star falling into the gravitational field of a black hole increases sharply precisely during a collision of galaxies. This is most likely due to the fact that collisions lead to the formation of a large number of stars close to the central supermassive black holes in two galaxies at the time of their merger. '
