Black hole–shredded megastars power a new class of cosmic explosions

Astronomers have discovered extreme nuclear transients (ENTs), a new class of cosmic explosions caused by supermassive black holes tearing apart massive stars. ENTs are significantly brighter and longer-lasting than supernovas, emitting more energy in a year than the sun's entire lifetime. These rare events offer insights into massive supermassive black holes and their influence on galaxy formation. ENTs occur once per 10,000 typical tidal disruption events.