Chapter 1
The anatomy of a black hole
Chapter 2
The four cosmic families
Chapter 3
Extreme physics and spaghettification
Chapter 4
Photographing the invisible
Ch 1 · The anatomy of a black hole
Quiz
What optical effect occurs when a black hole's gravity bends light from stars behind it?
hue At the very center of a black hole lies the singularity, where all matter is crushed into zero volume.
Quiz
What type of radiation is primarily emitted by the superheated matter in a black hole's accretion disk?
hue Superheated gas and dust swirl around the black hole, glowing brightly before they fall in.
Fun Fact
Gravitational lensing: Black holes bend light like a cosmic magnifying glass, warping the image of stars behind them.
Quiz
Whose theory of general relativity predicted the mathematical possibility of black holes?
Quiz
At what speed would an object need to travel to escape a black hole once inside the event horizon?
Glossary
event horizon (noun)
The boundary surrounding a black hole from which no matter or radiation can escape. In 2022, the Event Horizon Telescope captured the first direct image of this boundary around Sagittarius A.
The boundary surrounding a black hole from which no matter or radiation can escape. In 2022, the Event Horizon Telescope captured the first direct image of this boundary around Sagittarius A.