What is a Black Holes? | Types, Definition, Structure, Function & Facts
What is a Black Hole?
Black holes are one of the most mysterious and powerful forces in the universe. A black hole is a place where gravity becomes so strong that nothing around it can escape, not even light. The mass of a black hole is so compact or dense that gravity is too strong for even light to escape.
Can we see the Black Hole?
Black holes are actually invisible. We can’t really see black holes because they don’t reflect light. Scientists know they exist by observing the light and objects around the black hole. Strange things are happening around black holes related to quantum physics and spacetime. This makes them a common theme in science fiction stories, even though they are very real.
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How are the Black holes formed?
Black holes form when massive stars explode at the end of their lives. This explosion is called a supernova. If the star had enough mass, it would shrink itself to a very small size. Due to its small size and huge mass, gravity will be so strong that it will absorb light and become a black hole.
Black holes can become incredibly massive as they continue to absorb the light and mass around them. They can even absorb other stars. Many scientists believe that there are supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies.
Event Horizon
There is a special boundary around a black hole called the event horizon. At this point, everything, including light, has to go towards the black hole. There is no way out once you have crossed the event horizon!
Who discovered the black hole?
The idea of a black hole was first proposed by two different scientists in the 18th century: John Michell and Pierre-Simon Laplace. In 1967, physicist John Archibald Wheeler coined the term “black hole”.
Interesting Facts about black holes
Black holes can be as massive as millions of suns.
They do not live forever but gradually evaporate to return energy to the universe.
The center of a black hole, where all of its mass is concentrated, is a point known as a singularity.
Black holes differ in mass and spin. Other than that, they are all very similar.
The black holes we know tend to fall into two size categories: the “stellar” size corresponds to the mass of a star while the “supermassive” size corresponds to the mass of millions of stars. The large ones are located at the centers of large galaxies.