A tidal disruption event (TDE) occurs when a star gets so close to a supermassive black hole (SMBH) that the tidal forces overcome the star’s self gravity, breaking it apart. The subsequent transient accretion can result in an electromagnetic flare. TDEs are capable of probing quiescent SMBHs that would otherwise be invisible to detection and can also be used to help understand the galactic nuclei they reside in. Historically, TDEs have been discovered using observations at soft X-ray, optical, and ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths, but approximately 30 TDEs discovered over the past decade have been detected in follow up radio observations. Dykaar et al. present a systematic search for tidal disruption events (TDEs) using radio data from the Variables and Slow Transients (VAST) Pilot Survey conducted ASKAP. The search entailed selecting variable radio sources with a single prominent radio flare and a position consistent with the nucleus of a known galaxy. The team identify a sample of 12 radio-bright candidate TDEs, with timescales ranging from ∼6 to 230 days. The derived volumetric rate for jetted TDEs is consistent with previous empirically estimated rates. The figure above shows example lightcurves of VAST Pilot sources. The vertical blue and purple bars show the highest and second-highest peaks of the lightcurves, respectively. The four plots outlined in green pass all of the selection criteria, with the plots outlined in red being eliminated by the lightcurve morphology criterion.