TEXAS -- For the first time, NASA satellites saw a black hole devour a star, shedding light on a massive cosmic mystery.
The phenomenon is called a tidal disruption event and it only happens about once every 10,000 to 100,000 years in a galaxy the size of our own Milky Way, according to space agency.
NASA says astronomers have observed only about 40 tidal disruptions so far, and this is the first for NASA’s planet-hunting Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS).
The nearest black hole can be found at the center of our own Milky Way galaxy, but experts say we on planet Earth shouldn't be concerned.
In the above video, NASA scientist Knicole Colon tells our Chief Meteorologist Burton Fitzsimmons that a black hole's gravity is too strong for even light to escape, making it exceedingly difficult to study.
ASAS-SN, a worldwide network of 20 robotic telescopes headquartered at Ohio State University, reportedly discovered the event on January 29, according to NASA.
Check out this website for the full NASA report.