According to traditional stellar evolution theory, when a star exhausts its nuclear fusion fuels, gravity causes the core to collapse, leading to its eventual death as a white dwarf for stars similar in mass to the sun. However, for massive stars over eight times the mass of the sun, rapid gravitational collapse typically results in a supernova explosion, leading to the formation of neutron stars or black holes. Recently, some scientists have proposed that the heaviest stars, those over sixteen solar masses, might not follow this supernova explosion model; their cores may collapse so rapidly that they become black holes without undergoing a supernova event.

This assertion is supported by the observation that typical supernova events allow scientists to detect the progenitor stars in prior observational data. However, no progenitor stars have been identified for those above sixteen solar masses. Capturing the evidence of a 'failed supernova' is extremely challenging because such explosions are rare, occurring only a few times in our galaxy per century, while observations of distant galaxies can be incredibly difficult.

Researchers at Columbia University recently discovered an example of this phenomenon in the Andromeda Galaxy, the nearest large galaxy to Earth. They referenced archival data from NASA's now-retired infrared space telescope NEOWISE, identifying a star labeled 'M31-2014-DS1' which brightened in 2014 and dimmed several years later. Their attempts to observe its current condition using the Hubble Space Telescope were unsuccessful due to its faintness. Ultimately, they employed the James Webb Space Telescope, which has powerful infrared observation capabilities, revealing the presence of a very dim shell of gas and dust expanding at a velocity of 100 km/s around the dying star.