Dhaka, Aug. 23 -- Rapidly spinning stars may explain fading flares from black hole encounters

UNB, New York: The rapid rotation of a star before its first close encounter with a black hole may explain why some recurring bursts of light from such encounters gradually become weaker, according to a new study by astrophysicists at Syracuse University.

The study, published in The Astrophysical Journal, examines rare events known as repeating partial tidal disruption events (rpTDEs), in which a star survives a close encounter with a black hole but loses part of its mass.

The surviving core remains in orbit and returns for further close encounters, shedding more material each time and producing fresh bursts of light.

Astronomers have identif...