Star-killing black hole is one of the most energetic objects in the universe — and it's getting brighter

1. Space
2. Astronomy
3. Black Holes

Star-killing black hole is one of the most energetic objects in the universe — and it's getting brighter

News By Elizabeth Howell published 5 February 2026

Scientists say a jet from a previously studied supermassive black hole has grown brighter, becoming one of the most energetic events in the universe.

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

An illustration of a black hole shredding a star and releasing an energy jet. The powerful 'Jetty McJetface' feature was discovered in one such system. (Image credit: DESY, Science Communication Lab)

• Copy link
• Facebook
• X
• Whatsapp
• Reddit
• Pinterest
• Flipboard
• Email

Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Live Science Get the Live Science Newsletter

Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

Become a Member in Seconds

Unlock instant access to exclusive member features.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful

Want to add more newsletters?

Delivered Daily

Daily Newsletter

Sign up for the latest discoveries, groundbreaking research and fascinating breakthroughs that impact you and the wider world direct to your inbox.

Signup +

Once a week

Life's Little Mysteries

Feed your curiosity with an exclusive mystery every week, solved with science and delivered direct to your inbox before it's seen anywhere else.

Signup +

Once a week

How It Works

Sign up to our free science & technology newsletter for your weekly fix of fascinating articles, quick quizzes, amazing images, and more

Signup +

Delivered daily

Space.com Newsletter

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

Signup +

Once a month

Watch This Space

Sign up to our monthly entertainment newsletter to keep up with all our coverage of the latest sci-fi and space movies, tv shows, games and books.

Signup +

Once a week

Night Sky This Week

Discover this week's must-see night sky events, moon phases, and stunning astrophotos. Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us!

Signup +

Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.

Explore An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter

A jet from a supermassive black hole is getting more energetic with time, and is now believed to be one of the most energetic objects in the universe.

The jet — nicknamed "Jetty McJetface" — is emanating from a black hole that was previously studied in 2022, after it picked up a star and began shredding it to pieces, releasing the jet in the process. Now, some four years later, that bout of "cosmic indigestion" is still going strong, researchers said.

"This is really unusual," Yvette Cendes, an astrophysicist at the University of Oregon who led the study published Feb. 5 in the Astrophysical Journal, said in a statement. "I'd be hard-pressed to think of anything rising like this over such a long period of time."

You may like

• Astronomers discover a gigantic, wobbling black hole jet that 'changes the way we think about the galaxy'
• 'A scale almost too big to imagine': Scientists spot monster black hole roaring with winds at more than 130 million mph
• Scientists see monster black hole 'reborn' after 100 million years of rest

Many such star-shredding events have been spotted before, when a star gets too close to the gravitational field to a black hole and is violently torn apart in a process called "spaghettification." But such energy from spaghettification has never been seen before, Cendes said.

Cendes has a long affiliation with the black hole, formally known as AT2018hyz. (Her nickname for it, Jetty McJetface, is a pun on the British research vessel Boaty McBoatface, whose name was chosen by a viral Internet poll about 10 years ago.)

related stories

— Evidence for Stephen Hawking's unproven black hole theory may have just been found — at the bottom of the sea

— Newly 'awakened' black hole is releasing 100 times more energy than scientists have ever seen before

— Humans could use black holes as batteries, physics paper claims. Here's how.

Cendes and her colleagues discovered the black hole in 2018, before publishing a paper in 2022 on the black hole's star-shredding behavior. Analysis of the radio waves blasting out of Jetty reveal that he black hole is roughly 50 times brighter than it was in 2019, emitting at least a trillion times the equivalent energy of the fictional Death Star of the "Star Wars" universe, according to the researchers.

New predictions suggest that the radio waves coming from the black hole will keep rising exponentially before peaking sometime in 2027.

Sign up for the Live Science daily newsletter now

Get the world’s most fascinating discoveries delivered straight to your inbox.

Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsReceive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsorsBy submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Also, the team suggests the spaghettified star's radiation is blasting away from the black hole in a single direction, and likely not aimed at Earth. That may explain why the star wasn't seen near the black hole at first glance. But the team says more data will be required to verify that theory.

IN CONTEXTIN CONTEXTBrandon SpecktorSocial Links NavigationSpace and Physics editor

"Even without cute nicknames like 'Jetty McJetface,' black hole jets are major venues for astrophysical discoveries. Not only do they teach us more about the baffling behavior of black holes — like M87 (the first black hole to ever be imaged) — but they are also some of the most powerful particle accelerators in the universe, firing out matter at energy levels unattainable on Earth. Studying them could help shed light on the true nature of dark matter and other elusive particles."

Article Sources

Y. Cendes et al. (2026). Continued Rapid Radio Brightening of the Tidal Disruption Event AT2018hyz. The Astrophysical Journal. https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-4357/ae286d

Elizabeth HowellLive Science Contributor

Elizabeth Howell was staff reporter at Space.com between 2022 and 2024 and a regular contributor to Live Science and Space.com between 2012 and 2022. Elizabeth's reporting includes multiple exclusives with the White House, speaking several times with the International Space Station, witnessing five human spaceflight launches on two continents, flying parabolic, working inside a spacesuit, and participating in a simulated Mars mission. Her latest book, "Why Am I Taller?" (ECW Press, 2022) is co-written with astronaut Dave Williams.

View More

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Logout Read more Astronomers discover a gigantic, wobbling black hole jet that 'changes the way we think about the galaxy'    'A scale almost too big to imagine': Scientists spot monster black hole roaring with winds at more than 130 million mph    Scientists see monster black hole 'reborn' after 100 million years of rest    Scientists spot 2 black holes that took turns slaughtering 1 unlucky star    James Webb telescope confirms a supermassive black hole running away from its host galaxy at 2 million mph, researchers say    James Webb telescope may have discovered the earliest, most distant black hole ever seen    Latest in Black Holes Astronomers discover a gigantic, wobbling black hole jet that 'changes the way we think about the galaxy'    Scientists see monster black hole 'reborn' after 100 million years of rest    Some objects we thought were planets may actually be tiny black holes from the dawn of time    James Webb telescope confirms a supermassive black hole running away from its host galaxy at 2 million mph, researchers say    'A real revolution': The James Webb telescope is upending our understanding of the biggest, oldest black holes in the universe    James Webb telescope finds supermassive black hole hidden inside 'Jekyll and Hyde' galaxy    Latest in News Star-killing black hole is one of the most energetic objects in the universe    7,500-year-old deer skull headdress discovered in Germany indicates hunter-gatherers shared sacred items and ideas with region's first farmers    Martian meteorite that fell to Earth is full of ancient water, new scans reveal    How well can AI and humans work together? Scientists are turning to Dungeons & Dragons to find out    Kanzi the bonobo could play pretend — a trait thought unique to humans    Remote region in Greece has one of the most genetically distinct populations in Europe    LATEST ARTICLES

1. 1Kanzi the bonobo could play pretend — a trait thought unique to humans
2. 2Star-killing black hole is one of the most energetic objects in the universe — and it's getting brighter
3. 3Martian meteorite that fell to Earth is full of ancient water, new scans reveal
4. 47,500-year-old deer skull headdress discovered in Germany indicates hunter-gatherers shared sacred items and ideas with region's first farmers
5. 5How well can AI and humans work together? Scientists are turning to Dungeons & Dragons to find out