An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A process in which a → close encounter between a → tightly bound binary star system and a → supermassive black hole causes one binary component to become bound to the black hole and the other to be ejected at very high velocities, up to 4,000 km s^-1. → hypervelocity star.

See also: Hills, J. G, “Hyper-velocity and tidal stars from binaries disrupted by a massive Galactic black hole,” Nature 331, 687; → mechanism.