The process releases incredible amounts of energy out into space and produced a bright flare.
Astronomers call the destructive event a “stellar tidal disruption”.
NASA said: “When a star passes within a certain distance of a black hole – close enough to be swallowed up – the stellar material gets stretched and compressed as it is pulled in.
“A black hole’s destruction of a star, called ‘stellar tidal disruption’, releases an enormous amount of energy, brightening the surroundings in an event called a flare.
“In recent years, a few dozen such flares have been discovered, but they are not well understood.”
