NASA’s Neil Gehrels Swift Observatory has helped confirm a rare supermassive black hole far from the center of a distant galaxy as it tore apart and consumed a star, according to ScienceDaily. Astronomers describe the object as an “orphan” black hole because it sits well outside the galactic core, where supermassive black holes are usually found.
The discovery started with a bright flare first picked up by the Zwicky Transient Facility in November 2025 in a galaxy about 750 million light-years from Earth. Researchers said an artificial intelligence system flagged the event as a likely tidal disruption event, which happens when a star gets pulled apart by a black hole’s gravity.
Follow-up observations from the SOAR telescope in Chile and NASA’s Swift Observatory helped rule out other explanations. Swift’s ultraviolet telescope measured the flare at about 54,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and scientists said the outburst briefly shone with the brightness of roughly 10 billion suns.
The black hole is estimated to be about 1 million times the mass of the Sun, and the event occurred more than 30,000 light-years from the galaxy’s center. Researchers said the unusual location raises questions about how the black hole got there, with possible scenarios including a galaxy merger.
According to the report, scientists hope the discovery will help them find more wandering black holes in the future. Swift’s pointed observations are currently paused while it awaits an orbit boost planned for this summer.
