"Discovery: 18 Black Holes Devouring Stars in Tidal Disruption Events"

Astronomers from MIT have discovered 18 new instances of black holes tearing apart and consuming stars, doubling the known number of such events in the local universe. These Tidal Disruption Events (TDEs) occur when a star gets too close to a black hole, resulting in the star being stretched and torn apart in a process called "spaghettification." The findings suggest that TDEs can occur in a wider range of galaxies than previously thought, and the team used infrared light and an algorithm to identify these events. The research also explains why TDEs were previously thought to occur only in specific types of galaxies and provides insights into the mechanics behind these cosmic phenomena.