Disappearance of a massive star in the Andromeda Galaxy due to formation of a black hole

Science 2026

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Authors: Kishalay De, Morgan MacLeod, J. Jencson, Elizabeth Lovegrove, Andrea Antoni, Erin Kara, Mansi M. Kasliwal, Ryan M. Lau, Abraham Loeb, Megan Masterson, Aaron Meisner, Christos Panagiotou
+2 more Eliot Quataert, Robert A. Simcoe
DOI: 10.1126/science.adt4853
Cited by: 5
References: 112

Abstract

When a massive star reaches the end of its lifetime, its core collapses and releases neutrinos that drive a shock into the outer layers (the stellar envelope). A sufficiently strong shock ejects the envelope, producing a supernova. If the shock fails to eject it, the envelope is predicted to fall back onto the collapsing core, producing a stellar-mass black hole (BH) and causing the star to disappear. We report observations of M31-2014-DS1, a hydrogen-depleted supergiant in the Andromeda Galaxy. In 2014, it brightened in the mid-infrared, then from 2017 to 2022, it faded by factors of [Formula: see text] in optical light (becoming undetectable) and [Formula: see text] in total light. We interpret these observations, and those of a previous event in NGC 6946, as evidence for failed supernovae forming stellar-mass BHs.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Gamma-ray bursts and supernovae Astrophysical Phenomena and Observations Galaxies: Formation Evolution Phenomena

Publication details

Journal / source
Science
Publisher
American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
Volume
391
Issue
6786
Pages
689–693
Publication date
12 February 2026
Language
EN