Good example of the science process in action: Large black hole

Astronomers have recently discovered a really large stellar black hole (meaning a star died and turned into a black hole). This black hole has a mass some 70 times the mass of the sun. The trouble is, according to current theories of star formation and deaths, a stellar black hole of this type should not exist - it is too massive according to our best understanding of stars.

So, either our best understanding is not good enough yet since we have something that does exist that is outside those theories, or perhaps the measurements are wrong and we are calculating too big a value for the mass. Or there could even be a little bit of an issue with both the theories and measurements, although this is the least likely possibility.

Whatever the case, this is a wonderful example of how science works! Nature often throws us curveballs that are outside of our best models and theories, and scientists need to sit back, rethink things, and figure out what is wrong with the theoretical understanding of the topic or what new information needs to be added to a model or theory. Scientists must be humble enough to accept we do not know everything, but the whole point of what we do is to learn and grow and gain better understanding of our crazy, fascinating universe! Below is the now famous first photo taken of any type of black hole (this is a supermassive type, at the center of a galaxy)!