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For the first time in history, astronomers have been able to watch as a dying star was reborn as a black hole. It went out with a whimper instead of a bang. The star, which was 25 times as massive as our sun, should have exploded in a very bright supernova. Instead, it fizzled out--and then left behind a black hole.
As many as 30 percent of such stars, it seems, may quietly collapse into black holes--no supernova required.Image credit: NASA, ESA, P. Jeffries (STScI)
