Emma Beasor (Univ. of Arizona)
A JWST view of the failed supernova candidate N6946-BH1

N6946-BH1 may represent the first case of a red supergiant (RSG) collapsing directly to form a black hole (BH), with no associated supernova (SN). If proven, this would solve the problem of missing high mass progenitors to Type IIP SNe, as well as providing a natural pathway for the formation of stellar mass BHs, as observed by LIGO/VIRGO. However, currently, we are unable to rule out that the star is still there but has enshrouded itself following a mass-loss event, similar to Eta Car’s ’Great Eruption’. If this is the case, we would expect to see a brightly emitting dust shell at wavelengths > 5µm. If it has truly collapsed to a BH, there should be no luminous source left in the IR. In my talk, I will present new JWST NIRCam and MIRI photometry of BH1 which will unveil the ultimate fate of the failed supernova candidate. Whether BH1 represents the missing link to high-mass loss phases in RSGs or the first confirmed direct collapse of a massive star into a black hole, I will discuss the implications this result will have for our understanding of stellar evolution.