What Is a Black Hole?<\/b><\/p>\n
Albert Einstein’s general theory of relativity, published in 1915, predicted that an object with a high enough mass would form a black hole. The heavy mass causes them to make a sizable indent on the plane of space-time. This makes light, which is massless and cannot be impacted by forces, curve around it. Einstein initially tried to deny the existence of black holes, calling them \u201coutlandish\u201d. However, other physicists at the time, like Robert Oppenheimer and George Volkoff, published papers using the general theory to predict their existence. In the late 1960s to early 1970s, more evidence came out to support the existence of black holes. Most notably, the first sign of a black hole was proven by Cygnus X-1, an X-ray source discovered in 1964.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0Despite the many breakthroughs scientists have made, black holes remain largely a mystery. Scientists have found fewer than 100 black holes as of today (NASA). Many black holes are stagnant and do not emit radiation, leaving the only method to observe them as gravitational lensing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Figure 1:<\/p>\n An artist’s illustration of a black hole. Key parts, like the accretion disk, are labeled.<\/span><\/p>\n Visual by NASA – <\/span>https:\/\/svs.gsfc.nasa.gov\/13326<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Why Was the Two Black Holes Colliding Such a Big Deal?<\/b><\/p>\n When Einstein first did his calculations on black holes, he concluded that we would never be able to pick up on the gravitational waves left by them, nor would we ever see them collide. However, his claims were shattered by the black hole collision GW250114, which happened in January of 2025. These gravitational waves, measured by giant laser interferometers, told us useful information about the location and size of this collision. This collision was also important because it verified Stephen Hawking’s claims about the surface area of a black hole. However, the more significant black hole merger of 2025 occurred in June. GW231123 left astronomers with more questions due to its unique nature and size. The black holes that collided were spinning at around 40 times a second, and their sizes were supposed to be forbidden by the laws of stellar evolution. While these two collisions left us with some answers, they left us with a lot more questions.<\/span><\/p>\n Figure 2:<\/p>\n Two supermassive blackholes are colliding. Note the ripples in spacetime that occur due to their immense mass.<\/span><\/p>\n Source: HubbleSite: Black Holes – <\/span>https:\/\/www.stsci.edu\/~marel\/black_holes\/encyc_mod3_q6.html<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Conclusion<\/b><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Scientists were able to detect two black holes colliding twice this year, which left us with confirmation of Hawking’s theory, but also raised questions about how black holes can defy the laws of stellar evolution. Black holes as a whole are still a mystery, but the two collisions this year helped us as a human race move closer to the truth, not just about black holes but about the universe as a whole.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Works Cited<\/span><\/p>\n Black Holes – NASA Science. (2025). Retrieved from <\/span>https:\/\/science.nasa.gov\/universe\/black-holes\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n HubbleSite: Black Holes: Gravity\u2019s Relentless Pull interactive: About This Site: Encyclopedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from <\/span>https:\/\/www.stsci.edu\/~marel\/black_holes\/encyc_mod3_q6.html<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n NASA Visualization Shows a Black Hole\u2019s Warped World. (2023). Retrieved from <\/span>https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/universe\/nasa-visualization-shows-a-black-holes-warped-world\/<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sites.imsa.edu\/hadron\/files\/2025\/09\/Screenshot-2025-09-30-233554-300x170.png\")
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