🕳️ Astronomers report unusually direct evidence that a massive star ended its life by collapsing into a black hole without producing a bright, classic supernova—after the star effectively vanished from view 231. The reporting describes a long-anticipated but rarely observed pathway for black-hole formation: a failed supernova, where the star’s core collapses and little light escapes, making the event easy to miss compared with typical stellar explosions 23.
The observation helps connect theory with reality. If some massive stars can collapse quietly, astronomers may need to account for “missing” supernovae when estimating how often black holes form 23.
Sources
- Astronomers observe a star that quietly transformed into a black hole [reddit.com] (2026-02-16)
- A Massive Star Suddenly Vanished and Left a Black Hole Behind [scitechdaily.com] (2026-02-16)
- Astronomers observe a star that quietly transformed into a black hole - KSL.com [google.com] (2026-02-16)
Highlights
- Where and how it was tracked: Reports place the candidate in the Andromeda galaxy and say researchers found it through repeated imaging of nearby galaxies, comparing “before” and “after” views of individual massive stars 321.
- Why it was almost missed: The coverage underscores how easy this kind of event is to overlook—astronomers had to revisit the same field with images deep enough to spot a star fading, which doesn’t trigger alerts built for sudden brightening 32.
- What stood out in the evidence package: The articles say this case comes with an unusually complete set of observations for a vanishing-star candidate, making the disappearance harder to wave away as a fluke or a poorly constrained measurement 23.
- What follow-up can still test: The reporting points to continued monitoring and multiwavelength checks (for example, dust-related signatures versus evidence consistent with collapse) as practical ways to narrow the alternatives for any single vanishing-star candidate 23.