Strange supernova blasts hint we have glimpsed a black hole’s birth

Space

Mysterious rhythmic bursts of light from a supernova hint that it has become a compact object like a black hole or neutron star

By Alex Wilkins

An illustration of a black hole created after a supernova

Christoph Burgstedt/Science Photo Library/Alamy

We may have witnessed a black hole or neutron star being born from a dying star, according to analysis of an unusual rhythmic supernova.

When a star runs out of the fuel it needs for nuclear fusion, it goes supernova and collapses in on itself, falling onto the core and blasting out material in a bright explosion.

Astronomers have evidence linking extremely massive supernovae to the formation of ultra-dense remnants like neutron stars and black holes, collectively called compact objects …

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