SMRTR Science & EngineeringFeb 12, 2026Scientific American

Did astronomers just see a star blink out to become a black hole?

SMRTR summary

Astronomers have observed a massive star in the Andromeda galaxy mysteriously vanish without exploding as a supernova, likely collapsing directly into a black hole in a rare "failed supernova" event. The star, about twelve times heavier than our sun, brightened in 2014 before completely disappearing by 2022, leaving behind only a dim reddish blob of ejected gas and dust surrounding a newly formed five-solar-mass black hole.

SMRTR provides this summary for quick context. The original article belongs to Scientific American.

Read the original article
SMRTR Science & Engineering

Get the next batch of curated summaries in your inbox.

This archive is built from SMRTR newsletter summaries. Subscribe for hand-picked stories without the extra noise.