Astronomers have been debating the fate of some of the hottest, brightest, and most massive stars in the universe for years. Some studies had concluded that such a star would produce a brilliant supernova. Others said the entire star would collapse to form a black hole. But some recent discoveries suggest a hybrid scenario. Wolf-Rayet stars can be dozens of times as massive as the Sun, and millions of times brighter. As such a star nears the end of its life, it blows material into space through powerful winds, forming a nebula around the star. When the star reaches the end of its life, its core collapses — probably forming a black hole. Its outer layers then may blast into space, producing a brilliant supernova. On the other hand, there might not be an explosion — the entire star would collapse, winking out with no fireworks to mark its death. But a couple of discoveries in the last few years suggest there’s something to both scenarios. Astronomers watched as two supernovas grew extrem
