14 DAY TRIAL // Scientists in the United States have just released this snapshot from a computer model that simulates how a star (located outside the field of view, towards the lower right) is being slowly pulled apart and consumed by a massive black hole (left side of the image).
Matter is seen streaming in a constant flow towards the dark behemoth, which is not visible directly. Its location is represented by the tiny black circle located in the middle of the large swirl of orange matter.
Not all of the gas the black hole rips off its victim is consumed. Some of it is accelerated at tremendous speeds, and cast away from the event horizon. The scenario depicted here is not imaginary. It takes place in the galaxy PS1-10jh, which is located some 2.7 billion light-years away from Earth.
The data in the computer model were produced by the NASA Galaxy Evolution Explorer (GALEX) spacecraft and the Pan-STARRS1 ground-based telescope.