Black Holes

Black Hole

A region of spacetime with extreme gravity

Black Hole

About Black Hole

A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. They form when massive stars collapse at the end of their lives.

Scientific Facts

The event horizon is the point of no return. The singularity at the center has infinite density. Stellar black holes can be 3-20 times the Sun's mass. Supermassive black holes can be billions of solar masses.

Interesting Facts

The first black hole image (M87*) was captured in 2019. Time slows down near a black hole. Black holes can spin and even collide.

Fun Facts

Black holes are invisible – we detect them by their effects on nearby matter. Spaghettification is the stretching of objects by tidal forces.

Discovery

First theoretical prediction by Einstein in 1916 (General Relativity). First discovered: Cygnus X-1 in 1964.

Quick Facts

Category Black Holes
Distance from Earth Varies (Sagittarius A*: 26,000 light-years)
Size Varies (Sagittarius A*: 44 million km diameter)
Temperature Extremely hot outside, cold at event horizon