When a dead star starts to collapse (what astronomers call a “supernova explosion”), it sucks in all the matter around it into a teeny tiny hole. Since it also sucks in all the nearby light, it becomes invisible, or what’s known as a “black hole.” 

Black holes are small spaces packed with massive amounts of matter, and their gravitational force is so powerful that nothing can escape them. They exist all over the universe. In fact, scientists think there could be as many as ten million to a billion black holes in our Milky Way, and that’s only one galaxy!

Black holes may sound scary, but they are actually super important, according to NASA. When a star explodes, the shockwaves can create new stars and solar systems. Supernovas also spew carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen — elements that are essential to life — throughout space.  These elements also get distributed when a black hole collides with a neutron star or with another black hole, which can potentially create new planets. 

The link between black holes and the formation of galaxies isn’t entirely understood, but some astronomers believe a black hole may have been involved in the creation of our very own Milky Way Galaxy. 

The biggest black holes are called “quasars.” According to NASA, quasars are so vast that their energy output — the gas they suck in — is a thousand times stronger than the energy output of their galaxy. But even quasars are limited in how much they consume. Since galaxies are so enormous, far-away stars are safe from getting sucked up by them, and every star they do manage to swallow only adds a small amount to their mass. 

Celebrate Black Hole Week

NASA is celebrating Black Hole Week with a fun guide to black holes. 

“This guide will help introduce you to the world, characters, colors, and fonts of Black Hole Week,” the organization states on its website. “NASA is celebrating Black Hole Week April 12-16, 2021 to captivate the public with one of our favorite cosmic objects. Our goal is that no matter where people turn that week, they will run into a black hole.”

Check out NASA’s Black Hole Week website to watch educational videos and access fun images and gifs to create your own black hole illustrations.