An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

A luminosity enhancement in the → light curve of a galaxy observed in X-rays or ultraviolet surveys supposed to be associated with the → tidal disruption of a star that has passed close to a → supermassive black hole in the core of a → host galaxy. An → accretion disk forms after the tidal disruption. The flare event marks the beginning of the accretion process onto the black hole.

See also: → tidal; → disruption; → flare.