flare

The burst of energy was likely triggered when an unusually large star wandered too close to the black hole.

Scientists have documented the most energetic flare ever observed emanating from a supermassive black hole, a cataclysmic event that briefly shone with the light of 10 trillion suns.

The new findings were published on Tuesday in the journal Nature Astronomy, with astronomer Matthew Graham of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) leading the study.

The phenomenal burst of energy was likely triggered when an unusually large star wandered too close to the black hole and was violently shredded and swallowed.

“However it happened, the star wandered close enough to the supermassive black hole that it was ‘spaghettified’ – that is, stretched out to become long and thin, due to the gravity of the supermassive black hole strengthening as you get very close to it. That material then spiralled around the supermassive black hole as it fell in,” said astronomer and study co-author KE Saavik Ford.

The supermassive black hole was unleashed by a black hole roughly 300 million times the mass of the sun residing inside a faraway galaxy, about 11 billion light years from Earth. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km).

The star, estimated to be between 30 and 200 times the mass of the sun, was turned into a stream of gas that heated up and shined intensely as it spiralled into oblivion.

Almost every large galaxy, including our Milky Way, has a supermassive black hole at its centre. But scientists still aren’t sure how they form.

First spotted in 2018 by the Palomar Observatory, operated by the Caltech, the flare took about three months to reach its peak brightness, becoming roughly 30 times more luminous than any previously recorded event of its kind. It is still ongoing, but diminishing in luminosity, with the entire process expected to take about 11 years to complete.

Because of how far away the black hole is located, observing the flash gives scientists a rare glimpse into the universe’s early epoch. Studying these immense, distant black holes helps researchers better understand how they form, how they influence their local stellar neighbourhoods, and the fundamental interactions that shaped the cosmos we know today.

LIAM GALLAGHER let rip in fury yesterday at a fan who fired a flare into the crowd during an Oasis concert.

The band were kicking off the Australian leg of their world tour, at Melbourne’s Marvel Stadium in front of a 55,000-strong audience, when the incident happened.

The flaming missile landed on a packed moshpit as Oasis belted out 1996 hit Champagne Supernova.

Liam continued singing but later called out the disruptive act from the stage, wagging his finger at the crowd and telling fans:  “That was naughty — naughty, naughty, naughty.”

Brother Noel is also reported to have been not at all best pleased — looking “concerned”.

The band were then fuming backstage, as Liam took to X yesterday and blasted: “To the massive C* who launched that flare into the crowd last night at the gig in Melbourne, you are one seriously f**d up individual and you will get yours, trust me.”

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‘A bit intense’

One member of the crowd revealed: “People were scared as they didn’t know what was going on.

“No one expects to see flames in the crowd at a gig.

“It was all a bit intense for a few split seconds.”

A venue spokesman said: “Security acted quickly, but the patron involved in throwing the flare wasn’t found. Thankfully no one has ended up getting injured.”

Earlier on in the evening, Liam was in high spirits as he told an anecdote about a kangaroo that had the audience laughing.

Meanwhile, Liam’s sons Lennon and Gene had been enjoying the Asian leg of the tour last month.

A source tells me: “When they were in Japan last week they went all out and did a tea ceremony, they went to a temple and got blessed by a monk, and they had Samurai lessons.

“They are living the dream.”

With their dad laying low after a few too many parties on tour,  I’m glad his lads are having fun.

JACOB’S COFFEE DATE

HUNKY actor Jacob Elordi is wasting no time after splitting from his glamorous YouTuber girlfriend after four years.

The Aussie, who stars in new Netflix film Frankenstein, was spotted grabbing coffee with model Kristen Kiehnle after the movie’s premiere in Los Angeles.

Kristen, who has 83,000 Instagram followers, is often seen flaunting her svelte physique on her holidays.

A source said: “Jacob and Kristen have been hanging out in LA. His romance with Olivia Jade has fizzled out and Jacob is concentrating on the film.”

Jacob and Olivia, were first linked in 2021, but called it quits after rekindling their relationship two months ago.

Olivia, the daughter of actress Lori Loughlin supported Jacob at the Toronto International Film Festival for the premiere of Frankenstein in September.

He may be playing Frankenstein’s monster, but it sounds like Jacob won’t be single for long.

BRIT OF LUCK FOR LILY

SHE’S already announced a 13-date UK tour next year, but I can reveal Lily Allen could be gracing us with a live performance before then.

I hear that the star, whose record West End Girl came out last month, is on the most wanted list to sing at the Brit Awards in February.

A well-placed music source tells me: “Lily’s album has gone stratospheric.

“Not only will she be a shoo-in for a gaggle of nominations, but bosses think she’d be ideal as a centre-piece for the performers on the night.

“She epitomises British talent and deserves to be on that stage being celebrated.

“It’s early days, but planning has already begun.”

Lily last performed at the Brits – which take place at the Co-op Live in Manchester for the first time next year – in 2010.

Back then, she belted out chart-topper The Fear.

Over the years, the star has been nominated for nine Brit Awards, but has only taken one home.

I’m sure that will change, though, with her latest musical offering detailing the breakdown of her marriage to Stranger Things actor David Harbour.

Despite the exposing compilation, Lily – who dressed up as kids’ book character Madeline for Halloween in a nod to the name she gave David’s alleged mistress on the album – says she doesn’t want “revenge”.

She told Interview magazine she now feels “differently” about their marriage breakdown, adding: “I wrote this record in ten days in December, and I feel very differently about the situation now.

“We all go through breakups, and it’s always f***ing brutal.

“But I don’t think it’s that often that you feel inclined to write about it while you’re in it.”

I think Lily crooning Pussy Palace on stage at the Brits would be iconic British behaviour . . .

IT’S NOUGHTIES BUT NICE, LADS

THE BUSTED vs McFly tour served up a dose of Noughties nostalgia as it hit London’s O2 arena.

The two groups are going head to head on a shared series of gigs around the UK, in a battle of the bands to finally settle their rock rivalry.

McFly – Tom Fletcher, Danny Jones, Harry Judd and Dougie Poynter – opened the London show with Where Did All The Guitars Go? before they had the whole room swaying with 2005 hit All About You.

Next, it was time to welcome their older brothers, in the form of Busted’s Matt Willis and Charlie Simson.

The pair paid tribute to bandmate James Bourne who has quit the tour for health reasons.

Matt said: “James Bourne, our best friend, is not with us right now – it sucks, we miss him and we love him. James is really fing sick so we are playing without him. It has been so fing weird but thank you for supporting us.”

After Busted reeled off their hits Crashed The Wedding and What I Go To School For, they belted out Year 3000 – joined by McFly. That song may be about the future, but I was happy to be back in the Noughties.

HE may pocket £500,000 as host of This Morning, but Ben Shephard has got a nifty side hustle on the go.

The presenter, who co-hosts the ITV daytime show with Cat Deeley, has set up an enterprising firm called Sweet Spot, which matches celebs with commercial opportunities.

Featured celebs include Joel Dommett, Gemma Atkinson and Love Island stars Will Young and Jessie Wynter.

Sweet Spot is actively looking for investors to help celebs create their own brands.

A source said: “Ben saw a gap in the market and doesn’t want to rely on telly work forever.”

Clever clogs.

ARGGH MAYA HEARTIES

CELEBS love to dress up for the cameras and Halloween gave them the perfect excuse.

Olivia Attwood went as Toy Story’s Jessie the cowgirl to a bash hosted by Heidi Klum, who was in full scare mode as Medusa.

In Manchester, Maya Jama and her footballer boyfriend Ruben Dias dressed up as characters from Pirates Of The Caribbean, while his Man City team-mate Erling Haaland appeared as The Joker.

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Paris Hilton sprinkled some Tinker Bell magic, while Sabrina Carpenter opted for a Fred Flintstone look.

Mariah Carey threw on a long pink wig, Hailey Bieber dressed as one of The Incredibles and Simon le Bon sang on stage with Duran Duran as a zombie.

Impressive imagery showing military aircraft punching out flares is, by now, fairly familiar, but no less worth looking at. Much rarer, however, is to see a civilian airliner design doing the same thing. In this case, the Boeing 737 jetliner is in Polish Air Force service, but the captures are certainly highly unusual and bring attention to a lesser-known aspect of this aircraft, and other governmental and privately owned jets that are similarly outfitted with self-protection systems.

The photos in this story were shared with TWZ by Bartek Bera, whose work we have profiled before. Bartek photographed the 737 on August 28, when it was on its way to the rehearsal for the Radom Air Show, in east-central Poland. The aircraft is a 737-800 Boeing Business Jet 2 (BBJ2), with the tactical number 0112 and the name Ignacy Jan Paderewski, which was delivered to the Polish Air Force in 2021.

After joining a formation with the photo ship, the 737 began pumping out infrared decoys, part of its relatively extensive self-protection suite. It’s worth noting that flares are by no means an uncommon feature of Polish military air displays. In the past, we have looked at the use of photo-flash flares by the now-retired Polish Air Force Su-22 Fitter swing-wing ground-attack aircraft, and C-130 transports have also previously lit up Radom with pyrotechnic displays.

A Polish Air Force Su-22 Fitter drops photo-flash flares during the Radom Airshow in 2023:

While we asked the Polish Air Force for more details about the decoys, they were not willing to provide any information. However, based on open sources, the Polish Air Force 737s were outfitted with countermeasures dispensers prior to delivery.

As we’ve explored in the past, infrared countermeasures encompass a range of different flares with varying degrees of capability and complexity that cover different spectral regimes. At their most simple, these kinds of flares provide a heat source, which can be enough to defeat the infrared seeker head of a simpler missile. To defeat a more advanced threat, a countermeasure needs to be more closely paired to the host aircraft’s signature.

The self-protection equipment of at least one of the Polish Air Force 737s also includes a directed infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system, in a canoe-shaped DIRCM fairing below the rear fuselage, while other examples of the aircraft display the mounting area for the same canoe. Reportedly, the DIRCM is the Israeli-made Elbit Systems J-MUSIC. This provides an additional degree of protection, using a turreted laser to blind and confuse the seeker on infrared-homing missiles.

Self-protection is enabled by the 737’s missile approach warning system (MAWS), sensors for which can be seen located around the fuselage in the photos here. The system senses the signature of the incoming missile and can facilitate automatic, semi-automatic, or a manual responsive course of action on how to defend against it, be it by flares or the DIRCM laser system, if equipped.

Overall, Polish Air Force 737s are notably well-equipped. These aircraft are also provided with a secure datalink, SATCOM, and UHF/VHF/HF radios for communications. Military-standard avionics include a TACAN navigation system, Mod 5 identification friend or foe (IFF), and GPS receivers with selective availability anti-spoofing modules (SAASM). The flight deck is fitted with head-up displays (HUD) and an enhanced flight vision system (EFVS), which provides the pilots with an improved view outside the cockpit. The 737s are equipped with specialized medical equipment for medical evacuation missions.

As for the Polish Air Force’s 737s, three of which are operated, their story is part of the service’s efforts to replace its fleet of Soviet-era aircraft with new Western equipment.

Previously, the Polish Air Force VIP fleet included a pair of Tupolev Tu-154M Careless trijets for transporting heads of state, as well as more than a dozen Yakovlev Yak-40 Codling regional jets for short-haul VIP work.

The retirement of both those Soviet-made types was expedited following the loss of a Tu-154M during a landing accident in 2010. This disaster, the causes of which remain controversial, resulted in the deaths of all 96 persons on board, including Polish President Lech Kaczynski. The remaining Tu-154M was retired in 2011, and the last Yak-40 was withdrawn in 2012.

The long-term successors for these aircraft are the Gulfstream G550 and the 737. Both types serve with the 1st Air Base Air Transport Squadron at in Warsaw. Ordered in 2017, the three Boeings comprise a single 737-800 built but never delivered to a Chinese regional airline, and a pair of new 737-800 BBJ2s, including the example seen here. The 737s are mainly used for transporting heads of state and high-ranking officials, hence their robust self-protection capabilities and overall high standard of equipment.

For their VIP role, the Polish Air Force 737s were outfitted with a special cabin, provided by Sabena Technics in Toulouse, France. This includes a cabin with seats for four passengers, two seats in a separate VIP compartment, 12 seats in business class, and 48 seats in economy class. There is also a rest compartment for the flight crew. 

Bartek’s dramatic imagery underscores the fact that VIP transports are also sprouting increasingly robust self-protection systems, including the kinds of flare dispensers that otherwise remain much better associated with frontline combat aircraft and tactical transport types.

You can check out more of Bartek’s photography here.

Contact the author: [email protected]

THE HAGUE — Aboard Air Force One over the Atlantic on Tuesday, President Trump turned his attention for a brief moment from the diplomatic victory he had brokered between Israel and Iran to one that has proven far more elusive.

“I’d like to see a deal with Russia,” Trump told reporters before arriving in the Netherlands for a NATO summit and referencing his private conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine. “Vladimir called me up. He said, ‘Can I help you with Iran?’ I said, no, I don’t need help with Iran. I need help with you.”

“I hope we’re going to be getting a deal done with Russia,” Trump added. “It’s a shame.”

It was a rare expression of frustration from Trump with Putin at a critical time in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, and as Ukrainian leaders and their allies in Europe desperately seek assurances from Trump that U.S. assistance for Kyiv will continue.

The president will be at the summit in The Hague through Wednesday, where he is expected to meet with leaders from across Europe, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. “Now we’re going to NATO — we’ll get a new set of problems,” Trump said of the meetings. “We’ll solve a new set of problems.”

The European bloc hopes to leverage Trump’s jubilation over the outcome of Israel’s war with Iran — which saw its nuclear program neutered and much of its military leadership and air defenses eliminated — into a diplomatic success for itself, European officials told The Times. After ordering U.S. precision strikes against three of Iran’s main nuclear facilities over the weekend to assist the Israeli campaign, Trump announced a ceasefire in the conflict on Monday that has tentatively held.

“The message will be that deterrence works,” one European official said. The hope, the official added, is that Trump will feel emboldened to take a more aggressive stance toward Russia after succeeding in his strategic gamble in the Middle East.

In The Hague, discussions among NATO and European officials have focused on Russia’s timetable for reconstituting its land army, with the most aggressive analyses estimating that Moscow could be in a position to launch another full-scale attempt to take over Ukraine — or a NATO member state — by 2027.

In a text message sent to Trump, screenshots of which he posted to social media, NATO Secretary Gen. Mark Rutte fawned over the president’s “decisive action” to bomb Iran, a decision he called “truly extraordinary.”

“Donald, you have driven us to a really, really important moment for America and Europe, and the world,” Rutte wrote. “You will achieve something NO American president in decades could get done.”

Rutte was referencing a new commitment by members of the alliance to spend 5% of their gross domestic product on defense, a significant increase that has been a priority for Trump since his first term in office.

The matter is not fully settled, with Spain resisting the new spending commitment. “There’s a problem with Spain, “ Trump told reporters on the plane, “which is very unfair to the rest of the people.”

But the new funding — “BIG” money, as Rutte put it — could help appease a president who has repeatedly expressed skepticism of the NATO alliance.

As he spoke with reporters, Trump questioned whether Article 5 of the NATO charter, which states that an attack on one member is an attack on all, in fact requires the United States to come to the defense of its allies.

“There are numerous definitions of Article 5, [but] I’m committed to being their friends,” he added. “I’ve become friends with many of those leaders, and I’m committed to helping them.”

Trump has failed thus far to persuade Putin to agree to a ceasefire against Ukraine despite applying pressure to both sides — particularly against Kyiv, which Trump has incorrectly blamed for starting the war.

In the Dnipro region of Ukraine on Tuesday, 160 people were injured and 11 were killed in a ballistic missile strike by Moscow, Zelensky wrote on social media.

“Russia cannot produce ballistic missiles without components from other countries,” Zelensky said. “Russia cannot manufacture hundreds of other types of weapons without the parts, equipment and expertise that this deranged regime in Moscow does not possess on its own. That is why it is so important to minimize the schemes that connect Russia with its accomplices. There must also be a significant strengthening of sanctions against Russia.”

Assuming a similar strategy to the Europeans, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said in an interview on Sunday that Congress should act to enable Trump with leverage against Putin in upcoming negotiations.

“How does this affect Russia?” Graham responded on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” when asked about the war with Iran. “I’ve got 84 co-sponsors for a Russian sanctions bill that is an economic bunker-buster against China, India and Russia for Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine.”

“I think that bill’s going to pass,” he added. “We’re going to give the president a waiver. It will be a tool in Trump’s toolbox to bring Putin to the table.”

The Mediterranean destination is loved by UK holidaymakers, and in 2024, Turkey welcomed over four million Brits. However, conflict in the region has led the UK Foreign Office to issue a travel warning

A travel warning has been issued for certain holidaymakers heading to Turkey.

The Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office (FCDO) has issued a revised travel advisory for Turkey, a popular destination among UK tourists, with over four million Brits visiting in 2024. The FCDO, responsible for providing crucial guidance to British holidaymakers, has released an alert for some of those planning a trip to the country.

The update is specifically regarding those planning to travel close to or over the Turkish border with Iran.

“If you are a British national wanting to cross the land border from Iran into Turkey, you will need to request facilitation from the British Embassy in Ankara by contacting the FCDO before travelling to the border, indicating whether you are contacting from Iran or from the UK on behalf of a relative,” the updated advisory, issued on Friday, June 20, states.

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“You will need to provide personal details (name, date of birth, details of travel document used to enter Turkey). This is required by the Turkish authorities. The usual entry requirements will apply, including that British nationals can enter without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. If you intend to leave Iran overland, you do so at your own risk.

“In Iran, holding a British passport or having perceived connections to the UK can be reason enough for the Iranian authorities to detain you.”

This advisory comes amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, with Iran issuing a warning to the UK, France, and the US against interference. The situation has intensified following a US attack on Iranian nuclear sites, reports the Express.

The Foreign Office has issued warnings against all travel to certain areas of Turkey, highlighting a strict no-go zone within 10km of the Syrian border due to ongoing conflict and an increased threat of terrorism.

It further advised: “In Hakkari province [south east Turkey], you must get permission from the local Governor’s Office to visit areas near the border with Iraq and Iran. If visiting with a travel agent or tour group, confirm with them whether you need an individual permit. Keep up to date with local media and follow the advice of the local authorities.”

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For those wishing to visit Mount Ararat in Agri Province, which is designated as a special military zone, it is necessary to obtain permission from the Dogubayazit Government office and pay a fee. The Foreign Office urges Brits travelling with a travel agent or tour group to double-check if they need their own permit.

Travellers are reminded to exercise “extra care” when visiting these regions, stay informed through local news outlets, and heed any guidance given by local officials.

Before visiting Turkey, make sure to check the FCDO’s travel page for the most up-to-date advice.