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black hole
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Introduction & Top Questions References & Edit History Related Topics
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black hole in M87 black hole
NASA animation: sizing up the biggest black holes
Uncover insight into the black hole
black holes
dust disk around black hole in NGC 4261 stellar evolution
What are gravitational waves and how were they first detected?
How are gravitational waves applied in science and in everyday life?
Know about the discovery of gravitational waves and their role in unlocking secrets of the universe
For Students
black hole summary
Quizzes
View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).
Astronomy and Space Quiz
The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet
Space Odyssey
1 July 2002: The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite reveals a massive solar eruption more than 30 times the Earth's diameter. The eruption formed when a loop of a magnetic field over the surface of the Sun trapped hot gas.
Brightest Star in the Solar System
Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy
M101 (NGC 5457, The Pinwheel Galaxy). Hubble Space Telescope image of face-on spiral galaxy Messier 101 (M101). Largest most detailed photo of a spiral galaxy that has ever been released from Hubble. Created from 1994-2003
Everything in Space in a 25-Minute Quiz
Related Questions
Read Next
The merger of two black holes and the gravitational waves that ripple outward as the black holes spiral toward each other. The black holes-which represent those detected by LIGO on Dec. 26, 2015-were 14 and 8 times the mass of the sun, until they merged,
How Do Black Holes Really Work?
Discover
Entrants falling and tumbling over while chasing the cheese at the 2016 'Cheese Rolling' held at Cooper's Hill, in the Cotswolds, Brockworth England
7 of the World’s Most Dangerous Festivals
Illustration for Demystified "How Dangerous is Quicksand"
How Deadly Is Quicksand?
illustration of the walking titanosaurus, Patagotitan mayorum
Titanosaurs: 8 of the World's Biggest Dinosaurs
Groups of depositors in front of the closed American Union Bank, New York City. April 26, 1932. Great Depression run on bank crowd
Causes of the Great Depression
Lusitania sinking, illustration from The War of the Nations (New York), December 31, 1919. World War I, WWI. This image is one of three on the page. (See source file for the other two.)
7 of the World’s Deadliest Shipwrecks
July, 2006, Launch of Space Shuttle Discovery STS-121. See attached for full caption information.
Will Light-Speed Space Travel Ever Be Possible?
Small, white rat (genus Rattus) on a glass table. (rodent, laboratory, experiment)
Cruel and Unusual Punishments: 15 Types of Torture

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News •

Sleeping Black Hole Erupts in Real Time – Blasting Out Record-Breaking X-Rays • Apr. 14, 2025, 2:35 AM ET (SciTechDaily)
For the first time, astronomers watch a black hole ‘wake up’ in real-time • Apr. 11, 2025, 7:11 AM ET (Popular Science)
“Astounding” – Astronomers Reveal Hidden Monster Black Hole Lurking in Our Galactic Backyard • Apr. 2, 2025, 11:49 AM ET (SciTechDaily)
Record-setting black hole 'echo' accidentally uncovered by high-school student • Mar. 23, 2025, 3:48 AM ET (Live Science)

Photos and Videos

black hole in M87
black hole
dust disk around black hole in NGC 4261
stellar evolution
NASA animation: sizing up the biggest black holes
Uncover insight into the black hole
black holes
What are gravitational waves and how were they first detected?
How are gravitational waves applied in science and in everyday life?
See All Videos and Images →

Related Topics and References

Topics
Dig Deeper: More Articles That Discuss This Topic

Key People

Andrea Ghez
American astronomer
Reinhard Genzel
German astronomer
Kip Thorne
American physicist
Stephen Hawking
Stephen Hawking
British physicist
Chandrasekhar, Subrahmanyan
Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar
American astronomer
Karl Schwarzschild
Karl Schwarzschild
German astronomer
An artist's representation of Penrose tiling
Roger Penrose
British mathematician
Roy Kerr
New Zealand mathematician

Related Quizzes and Features

Quiz
Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy
View of the Andromeda Galaxy (Messier 31, M31).
Astronomy and Space Quiz
Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy
The orbits of the planets and other elements of the solar system, including asteroids, Kuiper belt, Oort cloud, comet
Space Odyssey
Nicolaus Copernicus. Nicolas Copernicus (1473-1543) Polish astronomer. In 1543 he published, forward proof of a Heliocentric (sun centered) universe. Coloured stipple engraving published London 1802. De revolutionibus orbium coelestium libri vi.
All About Astronomy
M101 (NGC 5457, The Pinwheel Galaxy). Hubble Space Telescope image of face-on spiral galaxy Messier 101 (M101). Largest most detailed photo of a spiral galaxy that has ever been released from Hubble. Created from 1994-2003
Everything in Space in a 25-Minute Quiz
1 July 2002: The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) satellite reveals a massive solar eruption more than 30 times the Earth's diameter. The eruption formed when a loop of a magnetic field over the surface of the Sun trapped hot gas.
Brightest Star in the Solar System
Demystified
The merger of two black holes and the gravitational waves that ripple outward as the black holes spiral toward each other. The black holes-which represent those detected by LIGO on Dec. 26, 2015-were 14 and 8 times the mass of the sun, until they merged,
How Do Black Holes Really Work?
The merger of two black holes and the gravitational waves that ripple outward as the black holes spiral toward each other. The black holes-which represent those detected by LIGO on Dec. 26, 2015-were 14 and 8 times the mass of the sun, until they merged,
How Do Black Holes Really Work?