• A new type of supernova has been detected, triggered by a black hole's interaction with a massive star.
• The event, occurring 700 million light-years away, involved a star at least ten times as massive as the sun.
• Artificial intelligence played a crucial role in detecting and observing the supernova event in real-time.

Astronomers have documented an extraordinary new type of supernova, resulting from a massive star's attempt to absorb a black hole in a binary system. This phenomenon was observed as the star engaged in a complex gravitational relationship with the black hole, which ultimately distorted the star's shape and siphoned off its material before triggering an explosive end. "We caught a massive star locked in a fatal tango with a black hole," said Alexander Gagliano, an astrophysicist from the U.S. National Science Foundation Reuters, South China Morning Post, Channel News Asia, and Dawn.

The binary system featured a star and a black hole, both of similar mass but distinct in their sizes, leading to a gravitational duel where the larger star attempted to engulf the smaller black hole. Gagliano explained, "The star was large but puffy, and the black hole was small but mighty. The black hole won out in the end," highlighting the survival of the black hole in this cosmic interaction. The event released energy exceeding that of the sun's total output throughout its existence, further emphasizing its magnitude Reuters, South China Morning Post, Channel News Asia, and Dawn.

The exact mechanism behind the supernova remains uncertain. Astronomer Ashley Villar from Harvard University, the study's lead author, posited that either the star's distortion causes a collapse, or the black hole completely disrupts the star before its supernova. Villar remarked, "The star has been pulled and morphed by the black hole in complex ways," indicating the complex nature of star-black hole interactions Reuters, South China Morning Post, Channel News Asia, and Dawn.

Initial alerts regarding the explosion were generated by an artificial intelligence algorithm designed to detect unusual cosmic events. This enabled astronomers to perform immediate follow-up observations, leading to a comprehensive study of the explosion's life cycle. Gagliano stated, "Our AI algorithm allowed us to launch a comprehensive observational study early enough to really see the full picture for the first time," marking a significant advancement in astronomical detection methodologies Reuters, South China Morning Post, Channel News Asia, and Dawn.

Four years of observations prior to the explosion provided evidence of luminous emissions, believed to result from the black hole consuming material from the star. The aftermath also exhibited bright emissions as the black hole continued to consume debris from the explosion, leading to the black hole's growth and increasing density Reuters, South China Morning Post, Channel News Asia, and Dawn.