Astronomers Discover Black Holes Can Suffer Cosmic Indigestion

WHO:

Gizmodo - Noel Castro Segura, the study’s lead author and a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Warwick in the U.K.

Gizmodo - Kyle Solomons, the study’s co-author and a doctoral researcher at the University of Cape Town in South Africa.

WHAT:

Gizmodo - Researchers discovered that black holes can experience "cosmic indigestion" by expelling a significant portion of the matter they consume.

Space.com - The feeding frenzy of a distant black hole ended with a windy outburst.

WHERE:

Gizmodo - The Very Large Telescope in Chile was used to observe the black hole system.

WHEN:

Gizmodo - The black hole system, Swift J1727.8−1613, was first observed during an eruption in 2023.

WHY:

Gizmodo - The study suggests that a significant fraction of the material consumed by the black hole may never actually reach it, indicating a complex process of matter redistribution.

HOW:

Gizmodo - Researchers studied high-resolution optical records of a black hole eruption to analyze its behavior over time.

Gizmodo - The black hole was observed expelling matter long after consuming a nearby star, suggesting a bidirectional exchange of matter.

(UPDATED August 4, 2026 07:41 UTC)

Researchers from the University of Warwick and the University of Cape Town have made a fascinating discovery about black holes, revealing that they can experience what’s being called "cosmic indigestion" by expelling a significant portion of the matter they consume. Using the Very Large Telescope in Chile, the team studied the black hole system Swift J1727.8−1613, which was first observed during an eruption in 2023, and found that a considerable amount of material may never actually reach the black hole, indicating a complex process of matter redistribution. Their analysis of high-resolution optical records showed that the black hole continued to expel matter long after consuming a nearby star, suggesting a bidirectional exchange of matter.