Massive Star's Silent Demise: A Black Hole's Unexpected Birth

Astronomers observed a massive star, 25 times the mass of our sun, that unexpectedly collapsed into a black hole without a supernova explosion. Using the Large Binocular Telescope, Hubble, and Spitzer, the team found the star had vanished, leaving behind a black hole candidate. This 'failed supernova' could explain the lower-than-expected number of observed supernovae. The research suggests that up to 30% of massive stars might directly collapse into black holes this way, offering new insights into the origins of supermassive black holes.