NASA's Swift satellite first alerted astronomers to intense and unusual high-energy flares from the new source in the constellation Draco...

Astronomers soon realized the source, known as Swift J1644+57, was the result of a truly extraordinary event -- the awakening of a distant galaxy's dormant black hole as it shredded and consumed a star. The galaxy is so far away, it took the light from the event approximately 3.9 billion years to reach Earth.

via NASA - Researchers Detail How A Distant Black Hole Devoured A Star