Uploaded August 2019 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The surprising science behind the mysteries of black holes! From the different types of singularities found to the strange, to the explosive ways in which they’re formed.
#10 Seeing A Black Hole
Black holes have caught the attention of scientists studying the stars for centuries, but until recently, they’ve never been able to catch researchers’ sight. These enigmatic regions of spacetime live up to their label as no light can escape the blackness of their pull. Because of this, it’s not possible for the human eye to directly detect its presence, even with the assistance of X-rays, light, or other electromagnetic radiation. Instead, they are found by examining effects commonly associated with a black hole’s exceptional gravitational pull. So, when witnessing events like a star stretching towards a blank darkness, chances are it's being torn apart by the grip of a black hole.
#9 Our Own Backyard
The universe is massive, so it may seem like black holes are the kind of rare anomaly to be found millions of light-years away in other galaxies. One black hole, however, has been found at the center of our very own Milky Way galaxy, named Sagittarius A* for its proximity near the constellation of the same name. The discovery came from observing a series of stars orbiting a focal point. This black hole is calculated 26 thousand light-years away, and astronomers have figured out the diameter of Sagittarius A* to be nearly sixty million kilometers. It’s believed that black holes of this size are at the center of most elliptical and spiral galaxies. As the great space vacuum steadily sucks in the mass around it, you might be wondering...will we earthlings get caught in the pull? Well, worry not. We may share the same galaxy as this supermassive abyss, but we’re still an extreme distance from Sagittarius A*. If anything, the presence of this black hole in the Milky Way is beneficial in that it grants Earth’s scientists a closer look and better understanding of their origin, nature, and purpose.
The surprising science behind the mysteries of black holes! From the different types of singularities found to the strange, to the explosive ways in which they’re formed.
#10 Seeing A Black Hole
Black holes have caught the attention of scientists studying the stars for centuries, but until recently, they’ve never been able to catch researchers’ sight. These enigmatic regions of spacetime live up to their label as no light can escape the blackness of their pull. Because of this, it’s not possible for the human eye to directly detect its presence, even with the assistance of X-rays, light, or other electromagnetic radiation. Instead, they are found by examining effects commonly associated with a black hole’s exceptional gravitational pull. So, when witnessing events like a star stretching towards a blank darkness, chances are it's being torn apart by the grip of a black hole.
#9 Our Own Backyard
The universe is massive, so it may seem like black holes are the kind of rare anomaly to be found millions of light-years away in other galaxies. One black hole, however, has been found at the center of our very own Milky Way galaxy, named Sagittarius A* for its proximity near the constellation of the same name. The discovery came from observing a series of stars orbiting a focal point. This black hole is calculated 26 thousand light-years away, and astronomers have figured out the diameter of Sagittarius A* to be nearly sixty million kilometers. It’s believed that black holes of this size are at the center of most elliptical and spiral galaxies. As the great space vacuum steadily sucks in the mass around it, you might be wondering...will we earthlings get caught in the pull? Well, worry not. We may share the same galaxy as this supermassive abyss, but we’re still an extreme distance from Sagittarius A*. If anything, the presence of this black hole in the Milky Way is beneficial in that it grants Earth’s scientists a closer look and better understanding of their origin, nature, and purpose.
