Black holes are defined as being a region in space where the pulling force of gravity is so strong that light is not able to escape. This enigma is known as being similar to a vacuum cleaner, cleaning up debris left behind in outer space, but they are much more complex than this.
Certain dying stars produce
a common type of black hole. A star with a mass greater than about 20 times the
mass of our Sun may produce a black hole at the end of its life. Stellar black
holes for instance form when the center of a very massive star collapses in upon
itself. This collapse also causes a supernova, or an exploding star, that
blasts part of the star into space. Incase you were wondering, a supernova is a stellar explosion that briefly outshines an entire
galaxy, radiating as much energy as the Sun or any ordinary star because of a
catastrophic explosion that ejects most of its mass.
You may be wondering… how
could we know such things exist if we can’t see them? Well, a black hole cannot
be seen because of the strong gravity that is pulling all of the light into the
black hole's center. However, scientists can see the effects of its strong
gravity on the stars and gases around it. If a star is orbiting a certain point
in space, scientists can study the star's motion to find out if it is orbiting
a black hole.
Article written by: Maggie Beehler
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