Black Holes Explained Without the Sci-Fi Myths

What is an event horizon, and would a black hole really swallow the entire universe?

The point of no return

A black hole is a region where gravity is so extreme that light cannot escape from inside its event horizon. The boundary is not a hard surface.

We infer the existence of black holes from effects on matter and from gravitational waves.

Not cosmic vacuum cleaners

From the same distance, a black hole of equal mass creates the same gravity as any other object with that mass.

Matter spiralling into an accretion disk may glow brightly. Our banners are artistic imaginings, not telescope photographs.