What Are Black Holes?

By Nola Taylor Redd 9 hours ago Science & Astronomy

Reference Article: Facts about black holes.



black hole particles escapingSimulated view of a black hole in front of the Large
Magellanic Cloud.(Image: © Alain R. | Wikimedia Commons)

Black holes are some of the strangest and most fascinating objects in outer space. They're extremely dense, with such strong gravitational attraction that even light cannot escape their grasp if it comes near enough.

Albert Einstein first predicted the existence of black holes in 1916, with his general theory of relativity. The term "black hole" was coined many years later in 1967 by American astronomer John Wheeler. After decades of black holes being known only as theoretical objects, the first physical black hole ever discovered was spotted in 1971.

Then, in 2019 the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration released the first image ever recorded of a black hole. The EHT saw the black hole in the center of galaxy M87 while the telescope was examining the event horizon, or the area past which nothing can escape from a black hole. The image maps the sudden loss of photons (particles of light). It also opens up a whole new area of research in black holes, now that astronomers know what a black hole looks like.

So far, astronomers have identified three types of black holes: stellar black holes, supermassive black holes and intermediate black holes.

More:
https://www.space.com/15421-black-holes-facts-formation-discovery-sdcmp.html