Black hole

A black hole is an area in space where matter (what everything is made of) has collapsed in on itself.

This means a lot of matter takes up only a tiny amount of space.

A black hole has a strong gravitational pull that sucks in everything nearby – even light. Nothing can escape it.

Should you be worried that a black hole will suck up the earth and the rest of our solar system? Definitely not. Black holes do not go around in the space eating stars,moons or planets.

Many galaxies have black holes in them. A black hole is large enough to pull objects near it, but not those far away.

Even supermassive black holes will not continue to grow forever. Just as the black hole was born, it will one day die. A black hole will slowly evaporate, releasing the energy it took back into space.

Scientists think supermassive black holes were made at the same time as the galaxy they are in.