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Astronomers Watched a Massive Star Just... Disappear. Now JWST Might Have Some Answers


In 2009, astronomers watched a bizarre mystery unfold. An enormous star, with 25 times the mass of the Sun, faded away and disappeared. Although it had been long theorized, it's believed this was a type of failed supernova, where a giant star imploded into a black hole without a bright flash. Astronomers have turned the mighty JWST on the region and found a bright infrared source. Their observations match a stellar merger instead of a single star failed supernova, but there are still more questions than answers.

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