Star destruction by supermassive black hole, illustration. This Sun-like star is being torn apart as it passes close to a rapidly spinning supermassive black hole, with a mass of about 100 million times the mass of the Sun. This black hole is in the centre of a distant galaxy. Its large mass bends the light from stars and gas behind it. The black hole's fast rotation has changed its shape into an oblate sphere. Its gravitational pull is ripping the the star apart in a tidal disruption event, as well as a burst of light. Image published in 2016.