Christopher Kochanek

Stories

The silent deaths: stars that collapse into black holes without exploding

As of May 2026: Leading ongoing Large Binocular Telescope survey

For decades, astronomers assumed all massive stars end their lives in spectacular supernova explosions. But a quiet revolution in observations has revealed that some stars simply vanish—collapsing directly into black holes without the cosmic fireworks. Two confirmed cases, one in the Fireworks Galaxy and another in Andromeda, now suggest that 10 to 30 percent of massive stars may meet this silent end.

Updated May 22

Notable Quotes

The typical view is that a star can form a black hole only after it goes supernova. If a star can fall short of a supernova and still make a black hole, that would help explain why we don't see supernovae from the most massive stars.

from The silent deaths: stars that collapse into black holes without exploding · Updated May 22

For the moment, it's the only feasible way of actually seeing a black hole being formed.

from The silent deaths: stars that collapse into black holes without exploding · Updated May 22