http://www.newsweek.com/supermassive-black-hole-spinning-event-horizon-destroy-star-x-ray-signals-1284805

The pulse from a star being torn apart by a supermassive black hole has been captured by scientists, allowing them to better understand the physical properties of these extreme regions of space.

Stellar black holes—like the one studied—form when the center of a huge star collapses in on itself, causing a supernova. The resulting black hole has such a strong gravitational pull not even light can escape—meaning scientists cannot observe them. This makes understanding their physical properties is extremely challenging.