Scientists Capture First-Ever Evidence of Black Hole Tearing Apart a White Dwarf Star
The Daily Galaxy • • science
Key Points:
- In July 2025, the China-led Einstein Probe space telescope detected a highly variable and extremely bright X-ray source, EP250702a, marking one of the most powerful cosmic outbursts ever recorded.
- The event's unusual timing, with the X-ray signal preceding typical gamma-ray bursts, and its rapid brightness decline over three weeks, distinguished it from known cosmic explosions.
- Researchers from the University of Hong Kong proposed that an intermediate-mass black hole tore apart a white dwarf star, producing the observed energetic burst, supported by numerical simulations.
- This discovery provides potential direct evidence of intermediate-mass black holes, a previously elusive class between stellar-mass and supermassive black holes.
- The event underscores the importance of international collaboration in
