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Some active galactic nuclei (AGN) — accreting black holes at the centers of galaxies — exhibit broad emission lines in their spectra from high-velocity gas. Others show only narrow spectral features. "Changing-look AGN" mysteriously switch between these two behaviors. This illustration shows a tidal disruption event, when a star passes too close to a supermassive black hole and gets torn apart by its intense gravitational force. Could such events play a role in creating changing-look AGN? Learn more on AAS Nova and in the article to appear in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. [NASA, CXC, M. Weiss]
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