BLACK HOLE DEVOURING A STAR

 

How long does a black hole take to devour an average star?

On average, it is estimated that it takes a black hole about 10 million to 100 million years to fully consume a star.

This may sound like a long time, but it is actually very fast on a cosmic scale. The process begins when a star wanders too close to a black hole and gets trapped by its gravity. The black hole then starts to tear apart the star with its immense tidal forces, stretching and shredding it into thin streams of gas. Some of this gas escapes into space, while some of it falls into the black hole. As the gas falls into the black hole, it forms a swirling disk around it called an accretion disk. The disk heats up due to friction and magnetic fields, and emits intense radiation that can be detected by telescopes. This radiation also pushes some of the gas away from the black hole, creating powerful jets that shoot out from its poles.

The accretion disk and jets are the main signs of a black hole devouring a star. They can last for months or years, depending on how much gas is available and how fast it falls into the black hole. Eventually, the black hole consumes all of the gas and stops shining. The star is gone forever.