Like I stated in the first paragraph, a lack hole is a part of space where gravity is so strong no light can escape from it. Black holes normally start at the end of a star’s life or a result of a star’s death. Black holes are due to matter being pressed into a small area. Believe it or not, they cannot be seen unless they are being viewed through something called a space telescope. These telescopes look for the age of a star/how close to death it is and behavior of the star. Black holes come in three different types: primordial, stellar, and supermassive. Primordial black holes are the smallest of black holes (as small as a single atom). Though they are tiny in size, they hold a very large mass. The average mass of a primordial black is one of a mountain. The next black hole is called stellar, which is the medium-sized one. According to nasa.gov , “the mass of a stellar black hole can be up to 20 times greater than the mass of the sun and can fit inside a ball with a diameter of about 10 miles. Dozens of stellar mass black holes may exist within the Milky Way galaxy.” Last but not least, the supermassive black hole. You could combine 1 million suns, and it still wouldn’t compare to the mass of this black hole. According to scientists, there is a theory that there are supermassive holes at the center of every galaxy. Our very own galaxy has one, which is named after the zodiac symbol Sagittarius. The one in our solar system has a mass of 4 million suns, but fits into the diameter of our sun, which leads me to think about just has large and complicated our universe really is. If every galaxy has one at the center, does that mean nothing can exist close to the center of the galaxy due to the gravitational pull? After looking into in further, scientists concluded that black holes can actually measure the field strength near black hole and that magnetic force is comparable to black hole force, which makes in unlikely for anything to reside near it.

How do black holes come to be?

The universe is said to have started approximately 13.8 billion years ago. The explanation for the universe’s birth is called the Big Bang Theory. Very soon after the universe was created, it is believed that black holes were present in the smallest form (primordial black holes). After that stellar black holes were seen. Scientists claim stellar black holes are just collapsed stars. After stars collapse, a supernova shoots the stars off into space (AKA a shooting star). Isn’t that cool that next time you see a shooting star you’ll know where it comes from? Anyways, moving onto the supermassive black holes. It is believed that they form with their galaxy at the same time and match up with the size/mass of the galaxy they reside in.

How were they discovered? 

After reading that black holes were indeed invisible, it made me question how exactly they were discovered then? If you can’t see them, how do you know they are there? As stated before, a black hole has very a very strong gravity pull, sucking all the light into the center, which is why they are invisible. However, because of the strong gravity pull, the black hole is evident due to the effects on the stars and gases surrounding it. A star’s motion is the key factor in determining if a black hole is around it. Generally, if it is orbiting a point in space, there is a black hole there. High-energy light is produced by stars and black holes being close. Scientists can use specific instruments to see this light, which is another way to find black holes. There is something called a accretion disc, which is defined as “a black hole’s gravity that is strong enough to pull off the outer gases of the star and grow a disk around itself,” according to Nasa. This disk releases X-ray lights due to it’s high temperatures, which makes it possible for scientist’s telescopes to pick up on the light.  This is one of the many methods scientists use to pick up on black holes.

Where do black holes lead to? 

Something I always wonder was if you were to just jump into a black hole, where would you end up? If you were to be trapped in a black hole, there is no escaping. The fastest thing in our universe is light, and not even light can escape them. After looking into it, according to unviersetoday.com, you don’t go anywhere. Black holes are not a portal to some unknown world (at least as far as we know). You would simply be added to the black hole. To be quite frank and maybe a little bit morbid, a black hole experience would be far from a good one. Basically the gravitational pull in the hole would lead to disassembly of the body and a quick, but very painful death.  It is believed that it would take a very, very long time before you actually become a part of a black hole. To be even more morbid, a scientists came that, “Even photons reflecting off your newly shaped body would be stretched out to the point that you would become redder and redder, and eventually, just fade away.”