A black hole is a place in space where gravity is so strong because the matter inside of it is compressed so tightly that light cannot escape it. Because no light can escape, black holes are invisible to our eyes. However, just because we can't see them doesn't mean they don't exist! They can be as small as an atom and as large as millions of our suns.
The largest black holes are called supermassive black holes. Scientists believe that every galaxy has a supermassive black hole at its center that was created at the same time as the galaxy that orbits it. Some smaller black holes were probably created when the universe started expanding, and others are created when a star collapses into itself. This is also called a supernova.
Scientists find black holes by observing objects that orbit around a point in space. They can also use special telescopes that measure X-ray light. X-ray light is released from black holes when gasses from nearby stars swirl into them.
Source: NASA Learning Resources
Black Hole Chasers by
In Black Hole Chasers, award-winning investigative journalist Anna Crowley Redding presents the riveting true story of one of the most inspiring scientific breakthroughs of our lifetime--the Event Horizon Telescope team's reveal of the first image of a super massive black hole. In April 2019, the Event Horizon Telescope Team unveiled the first ever image of a super massive black hole. This inspiring scientific breakthrough took years of hard work, innovative thinking, and a level of global cooperation never seen before. The challenge was immense. The goal was impossible. They would need a telescope as big as the earth itself. The technology simply didn't exist. And yet, a multi-national team of scientists was able to show the world an image of something previously unseeable. Based off extensive research and hours interviews with many of the team's ground-breaking scientists, physicists, and mathematicians, Black Hole Chasers is a story of unique technological innovation and scientific breakthroughs, but more importantly, it's a story of human curiosity and triumph.
Where Stars Go to Die by
Where Stars Go to Die covers the Webb Telescope's images surrounding black holes and what we're learning about them as a result. Features new discoveries being made with the Webb Telescope and the cutting-edge technology helping scientists make them.
Beyond the Solar System by
NSTA-CBC Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12 for 2014 list Humans have gazed into the night sky for thousands of years and wondered, What are those twinkling lights? Though the sun, moon, and planets moved across the background of stars, the stars themselves appeared immovable, forever fixed in constellations. Only when astronomers began taking a closer look did anyone realize what a fascinating, ever-changing universe lies beyond our solar system--red giant and white dwarf stars, spiral galaxies, wispy nebulae, black holes, and much more. In Beyond the Solar System, author Mary Kay Carson traces the evolution of humankind's astronomical knowledge, from the realization that we are not at the center of the universe to recent telescopic proof of planets orbiting stars outside our solar system. In addition to its engaging history, this book contains 21 hands-on projects to further explore the subjects discussed. Readers will build a three-dimensional representation of the constellation Orion, model the warping of space-time caused by a black hole, see how the universe expands using an inflating balloon, and construct a reflecting telescope out of a makeup mirror and a magnifying glass. Beyond the Solar System also includes minibiographies of famous astronomers, a time line of major scientific discoveries, a suggested reading list, a glossary of technical terms, and a list of websites for further exploration.
Black Hole by
The contentious history of the idea of the black hole--the most fascinating and bizarre celestial object in the heavens For more than half a century, physicists and astronomers engaged in heated dispute over the possibility of black holes in the universe. The weirdly alien notion of a space-time abyss from which nothing escapes--not even light--seemed to confound all logic. This engrossing book tells the story of the fierce black hole debates and the contributions of Einstein and Hawking and other leading thinkers who completely altered our view of the universe. Renowned science writer Marcia Bartusiak shows how the black hole helped revive Einstein's greatest achievement, the general theory of relativity, after decades during which it had been pushed into the shadows. Not until astronomers discovered such surprising new phenomena as neutron stars and black holes did the once-sedate universe transform into an Einsteinian cosmos, filled with sources of titanic energy that can be understood only in the light of relativity. This book celebrates the hundredth anniversary of general relativity, uncovers how the black hole really got its name, and recounts the scientists' frustrating, exhilarating, and at times humorous battles over the acceptance of one of history's most dazzling ideas.
The Black Hole at the Center of the Milky Way by
Reviewing the fundamental instrumental techniques and current observational results, this book unveils the mysteries of the physical processes in the central parsec of our Milky Way: the super-massive black hole embedded in a central stellar cluster as well as the gas and dust in the circumnuclear region.The observations described cover the entire electromagnetic spectrum from decimeter radio-waves to high energy X-ray and γ-rays, and a comprehensive summary of up-to-date astrophysical interpretations is given.The emphasis is put on observational techniques, image processing aspects, and a detailed presentation of the most cutting-edge work carried out in the near-infrared wavelength regime. These recent results include both the first orbits of stars around the central black hole and the multiwavelength variability of the central source.
Black Holes by
Black holes are one of the greatest mysteries of outer space. No visible light can escape the strong gravity of a black hole. This makes black holes invisible--and very difficult to study. But scientists make new discoveries and develop new theories about these mysterious objects every day. In 2015, astronomers were able to finally confirm a theory that Einstein had developed one hundred years earlier! And in 2016, scientists found that black holes may form in a different way than they ever thought possible. Read this book to learn more about the incredible and mind-boggling science of black holes.
Black Holes by
In 2015 two powerful telescopes detected something physicists had been seeking for more than one hundred years--gravitational waves from the collision of two black holes. This announcement thrilled the scientific community. Since the eighteenth century, astronomers have predicted the existence of massive, invisible stars whose gravity would not let anything--even light--escape. In the twenty-first century, sophisticated technologies are bringing us closer to seeing black holes in action. Meet the scientists who first thought of black holes hundreds of years ago, and learn about contemporary astrophysicists whose work is radically shaping how we understand black holes, our universe, and how it originated.
The Universe by
A deep dive into the origins of the universe! Explore the ways people have tried answering the fundamental question of how the universe began with STEM activities and research projects that bring out-of-this-world learning into your own hands! What exactly is the universe? Is it brilliant stars, distant galaxies, and giant black holes? What about the sun, the moon, or the planet Earth? The universe is all these things--and more! But where did it come from? How did it get here? And where is it all going? Explore these questions and more in The Universe: The Big Bang, Black Holes, and Blue Whales. In this book, readers ages 12 to 15 embark on an exciting journey that starts with the Big Bang and takes them all the way to the end of the universe, with many thrilling stops in between. Take a look billions of years into the past and discover the mind-bending early moments of the universe, the rise of the first stars, and the formation of the earliest galaxies. Explore the birth our sun and solar system and the formation of the only place in the universe known to support life: the earth. Finally, we'll zoom billions of years into the future to learn about the death of the sun, a colossal collision of galaxies, and even the fate of the universe itself. * Throughout The Universe, kids encounter essential topics and questions to encourage critical thinking skills, hands-on STEAM activities that encourage creative thinking, graphic novel style illustrations and more! * Links to online resources provide a digital learning experience that integrates content with an interactive platform. * Investigations include using a diffraction grating or prism to examine the properties of light and how they relate to the sun, modeling different galaxy types and black holes, and exploring the effects of climate change locally * Essential questions guide readers' investigations while hands-on activities promote critical and creative problem solving, and text-to-world connections highlight the way the past provides context for the present-day world. About the Inquire & Investigate series and Nomad Press Nomad Press books in the Inquire & Investigate series integrate content with participation, encouraging readers to engage in student-directed learning. Combining content with inquiry-based projects stimulates learning and makes it active and alive. Nomad's unique approach simultaneously grounds kids in factual knowledge while allowing them the space to be curious, creative, and critical thinkers. All books are leveled for Guided Reading level and Lexile and align with Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards. All titles are available in paperback, hardcover, and ebook formats.
Black Hole by
The My Guide to the Solar System series takes readers on a trip through our solar system and beyond! In this book, meet a black hole and learn what makes them special. Through simple sentences, emerging readers will learn technical facts and develop word recognition and reading skills. Includes a table of contents, glossary, index, and an author biography.
A Black Hole Is Not a Hole by
A black hole isn't really a hole . . . is it? Get ready to S-T-R-E-T-C-H your mind with this beloved and best-selling science book. Updated with an all-new chapter about the first black-hole image ever! What are black holes, what causes them, and how the heck did scientists discover them? Acclaimed STEM writer Carolyn DeCristofano's playful text shares how astronomers find black holes, introduces our nearest black-hole neighbors, and provides an excellent introduction to an extremely complex scientific topic. Gorgeous space paintings supplement real telescopic images, and funny doodles and speech bubbles keep the content light and fun.
What Is a Black Hole? by
Black holes seem like the stuff of science fiction. It's incredible to think there's a mass in the universe with such a strong pull of gravity that not even light can escape it. But it's not science fiction, and there isn't just one black hole out there. Diagrams and photographs help readers explore concepts that even scientists can't fully explain yet. This book will encourage future astrophysicists that more is going on in the night sky than meets the eye.