3. 1. HOW AND WHY ARE BLACK HOLES
FORMED
• A black hole is a region in space where the pulling force of
gravity is so strong that light is not able to escape. The strong
gravity occurs because matter has been pressed into a tiny
space. This compression can take place at the end of a star's
life. Some black holes are a result of dying stars.
. They are the remnants of a large star that dies in a supernova
explosion.
4. WHAT SIZE CAN BLACK HOLES BE?
• Black holes can be big or small. Scientists think the smallest black
holes are as small as just one atom. These black holes are very tiny
but have the mass of a large mountain. Mass is the amount of
matter, or "stuff," in an object.
Another kind of black hole is called "stellar." Its mass can be up to
20 times more than the mass of the sun.
The largest black holes are called "supermassive." These black holes
have masses that are more than 1 million suns together. There is a
supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way galaxy is
called Sagittarius. It has a mass equal to about 4 million suns.
5. INTERESTING FACTS
• Once particles and light-rays go past the event
horizon, their light cones “tip over” and point
to the singularity, which now represents all
future-directed paths with no escape possible.
• The nearest black hole is 1,600 light years
away. That is about 16 quadrillion kilometers
for Earth.
6. WHAT ARE BLACK HOLES MADE UP
OF?
• The simple answer is that we don’t know. A
black hole is defined as a region of spacetime
from which extremely strong gravity prevents
anything, including light, from escaping.
• Other scientists say that black holes are made
up of stars.
• From my point of view that can be possible
because a black hole is made up of a
supernova explosion.
