January 20, 2023 7-9PM

Event Type: Lecture and Stargazing
Title: Fireworks from Black Holes Devouring Stars
Lecturer: Yuhan Yao
Position: Phd Candidate
Institution: Caltech
Abstract:
Most galaxies in the universe are thought to contain a supermassive black hole. While these black holes themselves do not emit light, they can be "awakened" when a star gets too close and is torn apart by their powerful gravitational forces. From start to finish, a black hole takes a couple of months to fully consume a star, all the while producing visual fireworks across the electromagnetic spectrum. I will talk about how astronomers search for these "tidal disruption events", and what we have learned about black holes as they manipulate nearby material to create new physical features.