Astronauts
Astronomy
Constellation
Deep Sky Objects
Moon
Stargazing
Telescope
About Us Contact Us Privacy Policy Accuracy & Corrections Terms & Condition
COPYRIGHT. All contents of on the site comporting the Starlust branding are Copyright 2019. All rights reserved.
STARLUST.ORG / ASTRONOMY

Interesting Facts About Black Holes

Black holes are some of the most fascinating objects in the universe. Their properties are both mind-blowing and terrifying. Here are 10 cool facts about black holes.
UPDATED AUG 9, 2024
artist rendition of a black hole
artist rendition of a black hole
artist rendition of a black hole
artist rendition of a black hole

You may believe that black holes are giant monsters that grow indefinitely and will eat away the universe. However, black holes don't grow forever since they continuously emit radiation, leading to their evaporation. This radiation is termed Hawking radiation, named after Stephen Hawking, its discoverer. 

The bigger a black hole is, the more time it will take for it to evaporate. However, even if small black holes evaporate faster, it's a lengthy process that can't be witnessed in one lifetime. Yet, this doesn't mean black holes can't reach astronomical proportions. In fact, some of them are bigger than our whole solar system. Here are ten more interesting facts about black holes!

black hole ejecting matter
black hole ejecting matter

Black holes are some of the most powerful known objects in the universe.

1. Theoretically, anything can become a black hole

Our current understanding of physics seems that anything can become a black hole. In theory, if you could shrink something sufficiently enough, all that compressed matter becomes exceptionally dense, resulting in the creation of a black hole. 

In reality, we currently know that black holes are created when stars about 20 to 30 times more massive than our sun suffer gravitational collapse. According to the Space Telescope Science Institute, about one in every thousand stars is massive enough to become a black hole.

2. Black holes are common throughout the universe

Just knowing that a black hole can exist is terrifying and mysterious enough. However, the thought is even more frightening when we consider that billions of black holes exist in our universe.

According to NASA estimates, our galaxy, the Milky Way, may well host anywhere between 10 million to one billion stellar black holes. And that's just our galaxy, which is one out of over 100 billion galaxies out there. 

3. Albert Einstein didn't discover black holes

Contrary to popular belief, Albert Einstein wasn't the one to discover the existence of black holes. His theory of general relativity does predict their existence. However, the scientist Karl Schwarzchild used Einstein's theories and equations to prove the existence of black holes. 

Schwarzchild accomplished this in 1915, the same year the theory of relativity was published. In astrophysics, a Schwarzchild radius is a measurement of how small an object should be compressed to create a black hole.

However, even before Einstein and Schwarzchild's observations, other scientists hinted at the existence of black holes. One such example is the British polymath John Michell who predicted the existence of "dark stars" that had a great mass and were so compressed that not even light could escape their gravitational pull. The official name for these dark stars, now known as black holes, occurred in 1967.

realistic simulation of a black hole
realistic simulation of a black hole

The ring of light around the black hole is called the accretion disk.

4. Black holes may have a counterpart

Black holes are the core remnants of collapsed stars that suck in all the matter around them. They are the universe's vacuum machines, and their functionality might very well be a good one. With all the matter floating around in space, from supernova explosions or other events, so many other celestial objects would be endangered. This is because the remnants of other planets and stars might very well result in collisions with other objects. 

This is why black holes, with their sucking ability, may be a good thing. Many theorize that white holes also exist but have a counter functionality. White holes, instead of sucking in a matter like black holes, spill matter into the universe. If you can enter a black hole, then you certainly can't enter a white hole. If white holes are proven to exist, and many believe they do, black holes, in general, become even more interesting. Who was first in this cosmological battle? Do black holes suck matter and then spill it out somewhere else? Or were white holes first and black holes created as a counter-action?

5. Black Holes are more efficient in creating energy than regular stars

Stars, like our sun, create huge amounts of energy through nuclear fusion. Nuclear fusion converts about 0.7% of mass into energy as small atomic nuclei combine to form a single heavier one. 

However, black holes are 9.3% more efficient than stars when it comes to producing energy, and this is because of the disk of material that orbits around them. The material nearest to the fringe of the event horizon on the inner edge will orbit at higher speeds than the matter at the disk's outer edge.

This is since a black hole's event horizon has a stronger gravitational pull the closer you are to it. Since the matter is orbiting and moving rapidly, the materials heat up to billions of degrees. Through this process, mass is converted into energy. The process is known as blackbody radiation.

6. You wouldn't want to fall into a black hole

Have you ever heard about spaghettification? This might happen to you if you fall into a black hole. Though the name sounds funny, the way it works is terrifying, and this is because of how gravity works.

For example, your feet are closer to the earth's center than your upper body, and thus they are more strongly attracted. Near a black hole, your feet will be stretched first by gravity's pull as it sucks you in. Since it is farther away from the center of the black hole, the upper part of your body will also be sucked in but at a slower speed, resulting in a literal stretch into a long spaghetti-like strand.

falling into a blackhole
falling into a blackhole

Falling into a black hole would probably be the trippiest way to die. Where will your atoms go?

7. Black Holes can merge and get bigger

Galaxies tend to merge and grow more prominent as a result. However, when this happens, black holes do the same. Many believe that supermassive black holes are the result of such collisions.

Right now, the Andromeda galaxy is on a collision course with our galaxy, the Milky Way. When the two galaxies merge in about 4.5 billion years, the supermassive black holes at their centers will merge into an even greater black hole.

8. Most galaxies have a supermassive Black Hole at the center

Our Milky Way has a supermassive black hole at its center named Saggitarius A*. It is about 5,000 light-years away from us. One of the closest galaxies to ours is Andromeda, which also has a supermassive black hole at its center, about 100,000 times the mass of our sun.

Many other galaxies that scientists analyzed often showcased the same scenario. Supermassive black holes are frequently present at most galaxies' centers.

9. Time slows down near a Black Hole

One of the most mind-boggling aspects of black holes is their effects on time. According to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, time actually slows down near a black hole. This effect is known as “gravitational time dilation.”

As a general rule in the theory of relativity, the faster you move, the slower time passes for you. If you were to reach the event horizon of a black hole, the strong gravitational pull would make you move so fast it would slow down time itself. 

For someone outside of the black hole, it would appear as if time has stopped for you. But from your perspective, you could turn around and see the outside world move at a fast pace... during that one second you have left before all the light disappears.

10. Black Holes have three layers

If we were to dissect a black hole, we would see that it has three layers: the outer layer, the inner layer, and the singularity. The outer layer is referred to as the outer event horizon, which is the boundary around the mouth of the black hole. 

Near this region, the gravitational pull isn't strong, and objects can still escape a black hole. The inner layer, which is in the middle, is referred to as the inner event horizon. Here, the gravitational pull is so strong that not even light can escape from it.

Once an object reaches this layer, it begins to fall down toward the center of the black hole. This is where the mass is concentrated. The center of a black hole, the singularity, has an even greater gravitational pull.

Conclusion

Black holes are some of the most mysterious and powerful objects in the universe. They defy our understanding of physics and have mind-bending effects on time and space. We may never fully understand them, but that doesn’t make them any less fascinating. Not long ago, scientists managed to take the first-ever image of a black hole. We can only imagine what new discoveries await us in the future.

In the meantime, there are plenty of simulations and models that can help us visualize what black holes are and how they work. In the below VR 360 simulation, you can experience what it would be like to fall into a black hole. Be sure to have your VR headset ready if you have one! It's terrifying!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17tEg_uTF_A

If you want to learn more, there are many great resources out there: books, podcasts, space documentaries, and more! So keep learning, keep exploring, and don’t get sucked into a black hole!

MORE ON Starlust
These incredible images are giving scientists vital new information about space weather events that could affect Earth.
23 hours ago
The rock will undergo thorough analysis using the Alpha Particle X-ray Spectrometer (APXS), Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI), and Chemistry and Camera (ChemCam) instruments.
2 days ago
Central to the research is NASA's Curiosity rover's discovery of carbonate-rich rocks that, like limestone, absorb and sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
2 days ago
To retrieve the valuable Martian samples from the Perseverance rover, Lockheed Martin has introduced a significantly more cost-effective mission design.
3 days ago
Losing access to this ongoing data severely limits scientists' capacity to monitor climate change and assess the escalating threat of sea-level increases.
5 days ago
NASA's TEMPO mission is a first for the agency, using a spectrometer to continuously monitor air quality during daylight hours from space, providing highly detailed measurements.
5 days ago
Scientists are predicting Earth will continue its trend of record-setting rapid rotations in 2025, with notably shorter days expected around July 9, July 22, and August 5.
6 days ago
Out of the 10,000-plus systems, a majority of them had never been discovered by astrophysicists in the past.
7 days ago
Like Earth's dinosaur fossils that unlock secrets of prehistoric life, the galaxy KiDS J0842+0059 provides an extraordinary look at the universe's initial stages.
7 days ago
This flight is the eleventh crew rotation to the International Space Station under NASA's Commercial Crew Program.
Jul 3, 2025
Daphne-AT is a virtual assistant that uses a blend of logic and real-time spacecraft data to pinpoint issues, determine their cause, and offer astronauts solutions for informed decision-making.
Jul 1, 2025
The observatory is expected to document 20 billion galaxies over its ten-year lifespan, accounting for about one-tenth of the visible universe's estimated galactic population.
Jun 29, 2025
'Double hot Jupiters' are extremely rare instances where two massive, scorching gas planets, similar to or larger than Jupiter, each orbit a star within a binary system.
Jun 28, 2025
On July 4, Mercury will reach its greatest elongation from the Sun, allowing it to ascend to its highest point above the west-northwest horizon.
Jun 27, 2025
Stargazers in Europe photographed the unexpected celestial display on the night of June 23.
Jun 26, 2025
New advancements enable ground-based telescopes to push cosmic observation boundaries.
Jun 18, 2025
New images from the European Space Agency's innovative 'eclipse machine' debuted on June 16, are causing scientists to rethink the actual rarity of total solar eclipses.
Jun 17, 2025
This stunning phenomenon was captured by Col Anne McClain from the Cupola, while she was aboard the SpaceX Dragon, docked at the ISS.
Jun 15, 2025
Space Launch Complex-37 (SLC-37), which hosted the final flight of ULA's Delta IV Heavy rocket just over a year ago, is being demolished to be repurposed for SpaceX's Starship.
Jun 14, 2025
Elon Musk's threat to halt SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft flights particularly alarmed officials.
Jun 11, 2025