What is a black hole and why can't even light escape it?
Gravity's Steep Slide
What is a black hole and why can't even light escape it?
Out in the dark between the stars, there are places so strange that not even light can leave. We call them black holes. They are not holes you fall through, and they are not cosmic vacuum cleaners roaming the galaxy. They are just spots where gravity has gone completely, absurdly overboard.
To understand them, start with something gentler: a trampoline. Put a heavy ball in the middle, and the surface dips. Roll a marble nearby, and it curves toward the dip. That dip is a sneaky way to picture gravity — heavy stuff bends the space around it, and everything else follows the bend.
