China's Einstein Probe telescope has recorded a rare astronomical event: the tearing apart of a white dwarf star by a black hole at the edge of a distant galaxy. During a routine sky survey, the telescope detected an X-ray source that exhibited sharp fluctuations in brightness, manifesting as an unusual series of powerful flashes.
After studying the case, scientists concluded that the event was likely caused by an intermediate-mass black hole ripping apart a white dwarf through its intense gravitational pull as the star passed nearby — a scenario considered among the rarest of phenomena.