Black Holes 101: What They Are, How They Form, and Why Scientists Are Obsessed

A photorealistic illustration of a black hole surrounded by a glowing orange accretion disk of superheated gas, with gravitational lensing creating a luminous ring of light around it.

A black hole is a region in space where gravity is so extreme that nothing — not even light — can escape. They form when massive stars collapse at the end of their lives, crushing enormous amounts of matter into an incredibly tiny space. There are three main types: stellar, intermediate, and supermassive black holes. … Read more