Some stars repeatedly skim past supermassive black holes, lose material and survive; scientists now think their unusually rapid spin explains why each returning flare becomes progressively dimmer

• Representative Image (Canva)Some stars can make repeated close passes around supermassive black holes, losing part of their material each time while surviving to return again.
• These encounters produce bursts of light, or flares, that can recur months or even years apart.
• But astronomers have been puzzled by a pattern seen in some of these systems: each successive flare becomes dimmer.