A Beginner's Guide to Black Holes

A black hole is a region of space whose gravitation force is so strong that nothing can escape, not any matter or light. The existence of black holes is based on the general theory of relativity. Its referred to as “black” because no light that touches its surface will reflect, it will absorb everything. Black holes are not visible, but they are thought to exist through their relations with other astral entities.

We will guide you through a few different subtopics of black holes, from why they’re thought to exist to various leading theories discussed by astronomers and physicists today.

Here’s a brief historical outline to how we have come to the theories of today:

An article giving a comprehensive overview on the history of black holes:
http://library.thinkquest.org/25715/discovery/conceiving.htm#darkstars

Here is a great video giving an introduction to getting acquainted to black holes:
http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/8-224-exploring-black-holes-general-relativity-astrophysics-spring-2003/

Below is another video exploring the Milky Way Galaxy, and the search for black holes.

Watch the full episode. See more NOVA.

How do black holes form?

An guide with pictures detailing how black homes come to be:
http://archive.ncsa.illinois.edu/Cyberia/NumRel/BlackHoleAnat.html

Here’s an infographic overview on black holes:
http://hobbes82.deviantart.com/art/Black-Holes-Infographic-170231518?q=boost:popular+max_age:744h+infographic&qo=12

Additional Resources:
http://imagine.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/science/know_l1/black_holes.html
http://design.lbl.gov/education/blackholes/index.html

What are galactic/supermassive black holes?

We’ve covered some of the basics of black holes, lets join the discussion on popular research today. Most astronomers theorize that there are millions of black holes in a galaxy. Here’s some information on their research and why they might exist. Lets explore some different resources that will guide you in learning about galactic and supermassive black holes.

Here’s an article that offers great numbers, visuals, and an easy to read guide about supermasssive black holes, which is thought to exist in the center of galaxies: http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr162/lect/active/smblack.html

An overview of supermassive black holes:


A video about the search for a supermassive black hole in our galaxy:


Supermassive black holes and recent discoveries:
http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2010/01/supermassive-black-hole-mergers/
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/03/100317144627.htm
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-04/uov-sft040506.php
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2010/08/26/behemoth-black-holes-were-born-in-violent-galactic-collisions/

Additional resources:
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/How_The_First_Super_Massive_Black_Holes_Were_Born_999.html
http://www.livescience.com/space/scienceastronomy/071108-cosmicray-source.html
http://www.universetoday.com/tag/supermassive-black-holes/
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/S/supermassive_black_hole.html
http://blackholes.stardate.org/resources/articles/article.php?p=birth-of-black-holes

If you still have any curiosities, here is a great resource for frequently asked questions:
http://cosmology.berkeley.edu/Education/BHfaq.html

Additional resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole
http://www.nasa.gov/worldbook/blackhole_worldbook.html
http://superstringtheory.com/blackh/index.html
http://www.scienceclarified.com/scitech/Black-Holes/Dying-Stars-and-the-Formation-of-Black-Holes.html
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/081111-st-black-holes.html
https://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.astro.39.1.309
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2010-08/23/galactic-supervolcano
http://academicearth.org/lectures/doppler-effect-em-radiation-binary-stars-neutron-stars-and-black-holes