Infrared archive reveals quiet birth of new black hole in Andromeda

Los Angeles CA (SPX) Feb 16, 2026

Astronomers have used nearly two decades of infrared and optical observations to watch a massive star in the Andromeda galaxy quietly collapse into a black hole instead of ending its life with a bright supernova explosion.

The object, cataloged as M31-2014-DS1, sits about 2.5 million light years from Earth in the neighboring Andromeda galaxy. A typical massive star death produces a powerfu