Space is vast and mysterious; it is bigger than your imagination and more mysterious than your worst nightmares. This enigmatic nature of space has led humans to ask some grave questions. This mystery has encouraged humans to go out, explore the deep, dark space and uncover its mystery.

One such mysterious and the fascinating thing is a black hole. It is impossible to imagine someone who has not heard of a black hole. Black holes are one of the most mysterious and yet adored phenomena of space. Some scientists have been studying black holes for ages. And here are some recent discoveries related to Black Hole. But first, let’s learn the basics of Black Hole.

What is a Black Hole?

The first thing you should know about black holes is that they are unimaginably dense. They possess enormous mass yet are surprisingly small (in terms of the mass they own). It results in strong gravitational field formation, which does not allow anything to escape. It keeps sucking in the matter, anything and everything which comes within the gravitational field. The interesting thing is, it doesn’t stop eating. It keeps consuming matter and this a mystery which scientists have been trying to solve.

Black Holes are formed when a massive star begins to collapse upon itself. It usually happens when a star is about to die. For understanding purposes, it can be compared to the autolysis process present in cells. Autolysis is activated when a cell is about to die or has developed some defects. Enzymes are released, which ultimately dissolve the cell. And if these enzymes leak out, they can lead to massive destruction. Something similar happens during a black hole formation. A star dies and starts eating itself. Once it is done, it starts eating the surrounding; anything that comes close enough. It should be understood that autolysis and Black Hole formation are two different phenomena.

Why is it called a Black Hole?

It can be said that Black Hole has earned its name. A black hole is pitch black. It does not allow anything to escape, not even light. A black hole absorbs all the light falling on it and reflects nothing. It thus appears as nothing but black, hence ‘Black Hole’.

Recent findings related to Black Hole

• Have you ever wondered what a Black Hole would look like? The scene from ‘Interstellar’ comes to mind, doesn’t it? But you don’t need to imagine anymore. Scientists, in 2019, have managed to capture the first-ever picture of an actual black hole. The black hole photographed as ‘M87’ which is a part of Virgo A galaxy. It was made possible with the ‘Event Horizon Telescope’.
• The M87 black hole has a black center surrounded by an orange glowing ring. The ring signifies the event horizon. But why is this ring orange? This ring is composed of matter which revolves around the black hole before it gets sucked in. Since the particles collide with each other during this process, it leads to the formation of energy. And thus, gives the phenomenon of glowing rings.
• It was long believed that Black holes are bald. It means that they only possess three properties- mass, angular momentum, and electric charge. But research in recent years has shown that some black holes grow hair. No, not real hair. It means that they show some shift in the event horizon. The latest discoveries prove that no-so-extreme black holes may possess hair.
• In the year 2019, scientists have discovered a black hole so enormous that it shouldn’t exist. It is believed that this newly discovered black hole has 70 times the mass of the sun. But according to observations, it should possess no more than 30 times the mass of the sun. Fascinating, isn’t it? It only proves that anything in this world is possible. And everything is questionable.
• Astronomers have observed a strange flare around Sagittarius A. What is Sagittarius A? It is a black hole present in the milky way galaxy. All thought may; the Sagittarius A seemed to be very calm with a minimal glow around it. And then it started glowing; nobody knows how that happened. But astronomers claim that this was the brightest ever!

These were some interesting findings of Black Holes. There is still a lot of mystery to be uncovered about Black holes. And this can only be possible with a lot of effort and patience.