A star survives destructive black hole encounter and returns — Here’s why astronomers are surprised

An awe-inspiring illustration by Ignacio de la Calle for Quasar Science Resources and ESA shows a star in its final moments, torn apart by a supermassive black hole’s immense gravitational pull. (Image: ESA)

Just when astronomers thought they’d seen it all, the cosmos delivered a rare encore — a black hole flare that played out twice, from the same star, in the same spot.

A Repeat Flare from the Same Spot
Astronomers have spotted a bright flare from a distant galaxy. The flare came from the exact same location as a similar event seen in 2022. This kind of flare usually happens when a black hole rips apart a star that gets too close. But this time, the star seemed to survive and came back again.

The event, first named AT 2022dbl, was thought to be a one-time stellar death. But now, about two years later, the same type of flare has appeared again. The new findings were led by Dr. Lydia Makrygianni, now at Lancaster University, under the guidance of Prof. Iair Arcavi at Tel Aviv University.

The discovery challenges long-held ideas about how black holes eat stars. Instead of a single, violent end, the flare suggests the star might have only been partly destroyed the first time. Much of it may have stayed intact, circling back for more.

A Snack, Not a Feast
Supermassive black holes sit at the centre of galaxies. They are millions to billions of times heavier than our sun. When a star ventures too close, it usually doesn’t survive. The black hole pulls it apart, swallowing half and flinging the rest outwards.

As this material spins into the black hole, it shines brightly for a short time. That’s when scientists get a chance to study the otherwise invisible giants. But this new repeated flare suggests something stranger—maybe the star was only nibbled, not eaten whole.

Prof. Arcavi said that if another flare appears in 2026, it would confirm the star is making repeated passes. If not, the second flare may have marked its final demise. Either way, the way scientists read these events may need to change.

Rethinking What We Thought We Knew
These repeating flares now call old ideas into question. For years, researchers assumed each flare was a one-off. But the new case suggests partial disruptions might be more common than thought.

The study included students Sara Faris and Yael Dgany from Tel Aviv University, with support from Prof. Ehud Nakar and several international collaborators. The results were recently published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

The team now waits for 2026, watching the same spot in space. If the star returns again, this rare visitor could offer even more clues about the universe’s darkest secrets.