Black hole shredding a star produced one of the brightest cosmic events

Astronomers report AT2024wpp (nicknamed Whippet), a luminous fast blue optical transient 1.1 billion light‑years away, and find its properties are consistent with a star being disrupted by a black hole companion.

Astronomers have reported a very energetic Luminous Fast Blue Optical Transient (LFBOT) designated AT2024wpp and nicknamed Whippet. The event was first detected by the Zwicky Transient Facility and followed up by the Liverpool Telescope and NASA's Swift satellite, among others. The discovery was presented at the American Astronomical Society meeting and the analysis is available on arXiv with a forthcoming paper in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. Lead author Daniel Perley and colleagues modelled the multiwavelength data to explore possible explanations. Key findings: - AT2024wpp (Whippet) is reported at a distance of about 1.1 billion light‑years and was observed in optical, radio, and X‑ray bands. - The event showed a very high peak output compared with typical transients; the authors report a peak brightness described as about 400 times that of the Sun. - Multiple physical models were fit to the data, but the team reports that no existing multiwavelength light‑curve model fully reproduces all observed features. - The authors state that other physical arguments favour a tidal disruption event (TDE) by a stellar‑mass or intermediate‑mass black hole and the presence of a synchrotron blast wave. - Early spectra were largely featureless, which the researchers attribute to strong X‑ray ionization; weak hydrogen and helium lines emerged later, with helium reaching velocities above 6,000 km/s. - Observations included follow-up spectroscopy with instruments such as Keck, Magellan, and the VLT, and the result is framed as an unusually energetic example within the growing LFBOT class. Summary: The observation of Whippet adds an unusually energetic data point to the LFBOT category and the authors conclude its properties can be explained by the disruption and accretion of a star by a black hole companion, accompanied by a synchrotron blast wave. Undetermined at this time.