Black Holes

For many years scientists started to theorize ‘Black Holes’ which means for many years Black holes were simply that. A theory! (If you do not know what a theory is, ask your parents or your teacher first) Black holes are not a theory anymore, they are now a fact! So what are Black holes?

Again like a lot of things in the universe, it’s difficult to answer that question in one sentence. So read on further for a lesson on Black holes.

 

So, Black holes are, well Black for a start. Which means in space they cannot actually be seen, but only detected by study through technology. Scientists study the effects of any objects that are either near to a Black hole or have been sucked into the Black holes gravitational force.

Or more simply put to understand what this means more clearly, sucked into the Black holes gravity, as extreme gravity is at the center of all Black holes, where gravity pulls all objects and matter close by into the Black holes center.

 

Black holes are so strong in nature that even light cannot escape entering it. What will really get you thinking is that nobody actually knows what happens to all the matter and light that is pulled into a Black hole. It’s difficult to understand if we will ever know what happens with Black holes, but you never know what we could discover as we have discovered so much about Black holes in recent years.

There are also many theories on the different types of Black holes that exist in the universe, how they are formed and what happens to the matter around them. 

In almost all galaxies that have been studied, scientists have found evidence of Black holes. And scientists now believe that there could be billions of Black holes that exist in the universe, that are all different types and all different sizes. Ranging from very small to very big.

 

The different types of Black holes that are currently known are:

Gargantuan – are super massive Black holes believed to be at the center of galaxies.

Stellar – are mid sized Black holes that are believed to be very common in the universe.

Primordial – are the small sized Black holes ranging from very small to the size of cities.

 

All of these types of Black holes are hurdling through the universe, and all of them are round in shape and have a point of no return called the ‘Event Horizon’ which is the boundary around the Black hole that sucks all matter into it.

So now that we know Black holes exist, it’s now important that we continue to study them and learn more and more about these amazing things.  

 

Kids Fun Facts Corner

# 1. Black holes can be extremely big or extremely small.

# 2. Scientists are sure that there is a super massive Black hole ate the center of the Milky Way galaxy.   

# 3. Scientists believe that Black holes eventually die out.  

 

Q&A Corner

Q. What is the boundary around a Black hole called?

Q. Can light escape a Black hole? 

Q. What is at the center of all Black holes?

Q. Name the different types of Black holes?

Download questions about Black holes here: black holes (answers on this page)

Teachers. For more in depth work sheets on Black holes. Click on Kidskonnect. Worksheets

For further reading and more information on Black holes visit www.kidsastronomy.com/black holes