Not all stars with black hole companions die gruesome deaths, scientists say

An illustration of a sun-like star orbiting a black hole.

Death by black hole isn't always inevitable for stars that exist in binary systems with one of these cosmic titans.

There may be a way for small stars in such systems to dodge their expected fates: violent supernovas that end in the creation of another black hole. This expected mechanism is also believed to turn the small stars into snacks for their black hole partners.