A black hole is what is left when a massive star dies. The nuclear fusion reactions inside the dying star’s core stop when the fuel for these reactions is consumed. At that time, the star’s gravity pulls material inward, toward the collapsing core, compressing it into a smaller and denser area. This material heats up and creates a supernova, which explodes and sends the star material and radiation roaring out into space. What remains is the highly compressed, and extremely massive core where gravity is so strong that even light cannot escape.

This dying star is now a black hole and literally disappears from view. Because the core’s gravity is so strong, the core sinks through the fabric of space-time, creating a hole in space-time – the black hole. This core becomes the central part of the black hole called the singularity.

We may not be able to see black holes, but we can detect the possible presence of one by the behavior of the effects of objects around it.

1. Mass estimates from objects orbiting a black hole or spiraling into the core

This effect is evident when a star or a disc of gas is behaving peculiarly, such as wobbling or spinning when there is no visible reason for it.

2. Gravitational lens effects

This happens when a star’s position shifts because the light from the star is bent by the black hole’s massive gravity, much like a lens. (Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity predicted that gravity could bend space.)

3. Emitted radiation

This is when material falls into the black hole’s center and emits detectable X-rays and strong radio emissions. Things other than X-rays can be ejected at high speeds to form jets or gas discs.

There are two types of black holes:

 1. Schwarzschild – Non-rotating black hole – This is the simplest of the two, in which the central core does not rotate. It has only the following:  

     A. singularity – This is the collapsed core.

     B. event horizon – This is the opening of the central core hole.

 2. Kerr- Rotating black hole – This type rotates, because the star from which it was formed was rotating and when the star collapsed, the central core continues to rotate. The Kerr black hole has the following:

     A. Singularity – This is the collapsed core.

          B. Event horizon – This is the opening of the central core hole.

          C. Ergosphere – This is an egg-shaped area of distorted space around the event horizon.     

          (caused by the spinning of the black hole, which “drags” the space around it.)

         D. Static limit– This is the boundary between the ergosphere and the  normal space.

 Black holes do not consume everything. Some objects pass into the ergosphere and can still be ejected from the black hole by consuming energy from the hole’s rotation. However, once an object crosses the event horizon, it will be sucked into the black hole’s central core and cannot  escape. This is not true with gasses. A black hole gets rid of unwanted gases by blowing them out of its flat sides in two jet discs.

Due to the nature of the black hole, this space phenomenon is still shrouded in mystery and is likely to remain so. It is something that we will probably only be able to form theories about and never truly know. One thing that is agreed on in many different cultures is that black holes distort time and space and reuse energy in a manner that suggests the possibility of re-incarnation of used souls. We may never know the truth.