The Life of a Black Hole

Black holes are some of the most exciting phenomena in astrophysics, but what exactly are they? How do they live and die? Let’s dive into the basics. » Subscribe to Seeker! » Watch more Elements! So let’s start at square one and define exactly what a black hole is. A black hole is a region in space where the gravitational pull is so strong anything that enters cannot escape again. That includes the fastest thing in the universe, light, and since light can’t come back out once it crosses that point of no return known as the event horizon, observers like us on the outside can’t see black holes. They are completely invisible. So you may be wondering how we know they’re there. We’ve even taken pictures of them, it was in the news and everything. The black hole itself may be invisible, but we can still find them because of the effect they have on nearby matter and on light passing close-but-not-too-close. We’ve spot