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Researchers using Chandra, Swift, and XMM-Newton data have made important headway in understanding how — and when — a supermassive black hole obtains and then consumes material. This artist’s illustration shows a star that has partially been disrupted by a giant black hole in the system known as AT2018fyk. Astronomers correctly predicted when the black hole’s last snack on the star’s debris ended and predicted its next snack would begin between May and August of 2025. As long as the star survives the disruptions, these meals should occur every 3.5 years.

Illustration of AT2018fyk

Researchers using Chandra, Swift, and XMM-Newton data have made important headway in understanding how – and when – a supermassive black hole obtains and then consumes material. This artist’s illustration shows a star that has partially been disrupted by a giant black hole in the system known as AT2018fyk. Astronomers correctly predicted when the black hole’s last snack on the star’s debris ended and predicted its next snack would begin between May and August of 2025. As long as the star survives the disruptions, these meals should occur every 3.5 years.

Image Credit: NASA/CXC/M.Weiss

Image CreditNASA/CXC/M.Weiss

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