Topic

Black Holes

Learning resources

Level
High School - College
Format
Online resource

About Black Holes

Black holes are one of the most fascinating and mysterious objects in the universe. A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape its pull.

As their name suggests, black holes are black. They are invisible. But they are not really holes. And they are not really black.

Black holes are actually quite bright. When anything, even light, falls into a black hole, the black hole becomes more luminous. This is because the energy of the infalling matter is converted into heat and light.

So, if black holes are so bright, why can't we see them?

The answer has to do with their immense gravity. Black holes are so massive and have such strong gravity that they warp spacetime around them. This warping of spacetime makes it appear as if the black hole is a black hole.

But it's not really a black hole. It's just an area of spacetime with very strong gravity.

The first black hole was discovered in 1971. Since then, astronomers have found many more black holes. Some black holes are as small as a single atom. Others are as large as a star. The largest black hole ever found is about twenty-six times the mass of the sun. (5)

Black holes are not only interesting and mysterious, but they are also important. Black holes play a major role in the evolution of galaxies. And without black holes, the universe as we know it would not exist.

Learning Black Holes