Supernova from pair instability

Image from a computer simulation of the formation and evolution of a black hole. Credit: Ore Gottlieb/Simons Foundation

Mystery solved: How the "impossible" merger of two giant black holes occurred

New simulations from the Center for Computational Astrophysics at the Flatiron Institute suggest that the formation of black holes in the "forbidden" mass range results from a combination of rapid rotation and strong magnetic fields, which eject up to half of the star's mass and create