black holes

A black hole is an object in space with a gravitational pull so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape from it. It forms when a massive star runs out of fuel and collapses in upon itself. The gravity of the star is so strong that it creates a “singularity” – an infinitely small, infinitely dense point in space with a gravitational pull so strong that not even light can escape. The size of a black hole can range from just a few kilometres to millions of kilometres across, and they can be found in the centre of most galaxies, including our own Milky Way. The most common way to detect a black hole is by observing the stars and gas around it, which are pulled in by its extreme gravity. Extremely bright X-ray sources can also be used to identify black holes. Fun fact: The strongest gravitational pull in the universe is produced by a supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way galaxy!