Black hole unleashes brightest flare ever--brighter than 10 trillion suns

A supermassive black hole's star snack lit up the cosmos like never before. This artist's concept depicts a supermassive black hole in the process of shredding a massive star--at least 30 times the mass of our Sun--to pieces. Scientists propose this is what happened around the distant black hole referred to as J2245+3743, which in 2018, brightened dramatically to create the brightest black hole flare ever recorded, shining with the light of 10 trillion suns. Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. It's hard to wrap your head around the fundamentals of a black hole .