Astronomers Observe Star's Silent Collapse into Black Hole in Andromeda Galaxy
A massive star in the Andromeda Galaxy, M31-2014-DS1, has been observed collapsing directly into a black hole without a supernova explosion, providing new insights into stellar evolution.
Astronomers have observed a massive star in the Andromeda Galaxy, designated M31-2014-DS1, undergoing a direct collapse into a black hole without the typical supernova explosion. This event offers new insights into the processes of stellar death and black hole formation.
M31-2014-DS1, initially about 13 times the mass of the Sun, had reduced to approximately five solar masses by the end of its life due to mass loss from stellar winds. In 2014, NASA's NEOWISE mission detected a significant increase in the star's mid-infrared brightness, which persisted for about two years before declining. Concurrently, optical observations revealed a dramatic decrease in brightness, rendering the star undetectable by 2023.
Kishalay De, an astronomy professor at Columbia University and lead author of the study, stated, "The dramatic and sustained fading of this star is very unusual, and suggests a supernova failed to occur, leading to the collapse of the star's core directly into a black hole." He added, "Stars with this mass have long been assumed to always explode as supernovae. The fact that it didn't suggests that stars with the same mass may or may not successfully explode, possibly due to how gravity, gas pressure, and powerful shock waves interact in chaotic ways with each other inside the dying star."
The research team utilized archival data from NEOWISE, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Spitzer Space Telescope, spanning from 2005 to 2023, to analyze the star's behavior. Their findings indicate that the star's core collapse led directly to black hole formation, with minimal material ejected, resulting in the absence of a supernova explosion.
This observation challenges the traditional understanding that massive stars always end their lives in supernovae, suggesting that direct collapse into black holes may be more common than previously thought. The study provides a valuable framework for identifying similar events in the future, enhancing our comprehension of stellar evolution and black hole formation.