News Astronomy

A star winked out of sight. Could it be a ‘failed supernova’? 

The dramatic dimming of a star could mark the birth of a black hole 

A galaxy in blue and orange colors

A star in the Andromeda galaxy (seen here in false-color infrared light) seemed to disappear, potential evidence of a failed supernova.

JPL-Caltech/NASA, UCLA

By Emily Conover

Some massive stars may go out with a fizzle, not a bang.

A star that winked out of view could be a “failed supernova,” a stellar explosion that petered out instead of fully detonating, a new study reports.