: What are blackholes (its for a science project)?

Here's what I know. Stars are in balance. All their mass generates gravity which tries to crush the star to a smaller size. The star burns fuel (hydrogen in the beginning) which generates equal pressure that counteracts the gravity. The star goes on like this for a while. Without going into great detail, stars eventually run out of fuel. Gravity, no longer countered by the burning of fuel, pulls the matter of the star to a much smaller size. Much denser, this smaller star has a high density. The results in a very concentrated gravity "well."

Know the black hole part.

Very large stars have so much matter that when they crush down this small size thay have an extreme amount of gravity. Light is affected by gravity; Starlight bends around the sun for example. If gravity is strong enough, any light generated by the old star bends around and comes back to the star; Thus light never leaves.

This is what a black hole is as I know it. I have skipped many things about stellar evolution.

Let's here from the astronomers out there.

I will try to find some web sites and list them on Astronomy Net to help you find information.

John

• Re: blackholes - tim_morin/">tim morin - June 2, 1998 - 12:47 UTC