Have We Found the Black Hole Desert?

Astronomers disagree on whether they’ve found evidence that stars don’t make certain sizes of black hole. Scientists expect a gap in the range of masses a black hole can have. Due to the vagaries of nuclear fusion, some goliath stars — we’re talking 100 to 260 times the Sun’s mass — should blow themselves to smithereens, leaving no remnant behind. This stellar annihilation will leave its mark on the population of black holes that are born when stars die: No black holes should exist with masses..