Black holes snacking on small stars create particle accelerators that bombard Earth with cosmic rays

image via Space.com

February 19, 2025, 9:16 PM

• •Microquasars are systems in which a black hole is slowly devouring a star.
• •Microquasars can have an impressive cosmic influence, becoming powerful natural particle accelerators.
• •This means black holes indulging in stellar meals of all sizes could be responsible for a higher-than-suspected amount of high-energy charged particles called "cosmic rays
• •which are constantly bombarding Earth.

Microquasars are small but mighty, new research suggests. These systems, in which a black hole is slowly devouring a star, can accelerate particles to high energies and may be responsible for a higher-than-suspected amount of cosmic rays.

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