"Discovery of the Missing Link: Supernova's Role in Black Hole Formation Revealed"
Astronomers have discovered a "missing link" supernova, SN 2022jli, that directly connects a massive star's death to the birth of a black hole or neutron star. This discovery, made using the Very Large Telescope and the New Technology Telescope, revealed peculiar traits in the supernova's brightness decline, indicating a binary star system where the companion star interacts with the material blasted out by the supernova, causing periodic fluctuations in brightness. This provides the first direct evidence of a connection between supernovas and black holes or neutron stars, and the research was presented at the 243rd American Astronomical Society meeting. The findings were published in Nature and the Astrophysical Journal Letters, and the system holds further mysteries for investigation with the next generation of telescopes.