X-rays from Chandra and optical spectra from the Magellan telescopes provide evidence that a star was destroyed a black hole in a globular cluster. The Chandra data (blue) reveal a so-called ultraluminous X-ray source. When combined with optical observations, it suggests that a white dwarf star strayed too close to an intermediate-mass black hole and was ripped apart by tidal forces. If confirmed, this would be the first substantiation that globular clusters contain this middle-sized class of black hole.
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Revised: December 31, 2009