J. M. Paredes

At the heart of many galaxies lies an invisible beacon — a supermassive black hole. As it devours matter, it blasts a dazzling beam of gamma rays into space. If that beam points towards Earth, astronomers see a blazar — a bright but fickle point.

Seven billion years ago, a black hole at the center of a galaxy unleashed a gamma-ray flare — the most energetic form of light — with staggering power. Its light, after crossing cosmic distances, reached the MAGIC telescopes in December 2017.

In stellar nurseries, massive stars are not born alone but in pairs. Two stars orbit a common center, and the more massive one expands first and begins to shed its outer layers. Some of this material doesn't escape into space but flows onto the companion, like water from an overflowing cup into a cup held beneath.