Overview
- M31-2014-DS1, about 2.5 million light-years away in Andromeda, was identified as the vanished star that likely formed a new black hole.
- NEOWISE data show a sudden rise in infrared light beginning in 2014, followed by a roughly 10,000-fold dimming in visible light by 2023 with only a faint mid‑infrared glow remaining.
- Archival observations indicate the star expelled a dusty shell as its core failed to produce a bright supernova, matching predictions for a so‑called failed supernova.
- The team reports the progenitor likely formed with roughly 13 solar masses and had about five solar masses near the end of its life.
- The peer-reviewed findings in Science, supported by NASA’s Astrophysics Data Analysis Program, provide clearer evidence than the earlier NGC 6946 candidate as researchers search for additional cases.