【中国新闻网】人类首次！中国天关卫星或捕捉到中等质量黑洞“进食”白矮星

Core Insights - The latest research from the National Astronomical Observatories of China indicates that a high-energy cosmic explosion event, designated EP250702a, is likely the process of a medium-mass black hole tearing apart and consuming a white dwarf star [3][4] - This marks the first time humanity has captured such an extreme scene of a black hole "feeding," providing direct evidence and enhancing understanding of extreme astrophysical processes [3] - The breakthrough research was conducted in collaboration with over 40 universities and research institutions, with findings published as a cover article in the latest issue of the international journal Science Bulletin [3] Group 1 - The discovery centers on the unique and complementary capabilities of the Tianwen satellite, which is equipped with two X-ray telescopes: the wide-field X-ray telescope (WXT) nicknamed "Wandering Star's Eye" and the follow-up X-ray telescope (FXT) nicknamed "Wind Walker" [3] - There are differing opinions in the international academic community regarding the origin of the EP250702a event, with some studies suggesting it may originate from the merger of a stellar-mass black hole with a helium star, while other models consider the possibility of a stellar black hole tearing apart a normal star [3][4] Group 2 - The discovery of the medium-mass black hole tearing apart a white dwarf star not only helps to reveal the long-missing population of medium-mass black holes but also opens new avenues for studying black hole growth, the ultimate fate of compact objects, and multi-messenger astronomy [4]