Summary:

• **A Star Disappeared and Became a Black Hole**: Scientists discovered that a massive star about 96 million light-years away suddenly vanished without exploding like stars usually do. Instead, it collapsed directly into a black hole, which is like a cosmic vacuum cleaner with such strong gravity that nothing, not even light, can escape from it.

• **How Scientists Found the Missing Star**: Astronomers used powerful telescopes to notice that a bright star that had been visible in previous images was completely gone. By studying the leftover material and radiation around where the star used to be, they confirmed that a black hole had formed in its place.