A Star Suddenly Brightened, Then Faded Into Darkness. Astronomers Say It May Have Turned Into a Black Hole

A Star Suddenly Brightened, Then Faded Into Darkness. Astronomers Say It May Have Turned Into a Black Hole

If confirmed, this disappearing act might provide the closest and best observational evidence for the birth of a black hole

A star vanished in Andromeda, astronomers found signs of a black hole forming

By David Meijer For most of astronomy’s history, the death of a massive star has been a loud event. A supernova flares so brightly it can briefly outshine an entire galaxy. But a new study describes something far stranger: a massive star that seemed to fade out of existence, leaving behind only a lingering, heat-like glow.At first, the data looked like a mystery and even an “oddball.” Then the pattern kept getting harder to ignore. By stitching …