• Adventure
  • Auto
  • Culture
  • Entertainment
  • Home & Garden
  • Money
  • Science
  • Tech
  • Video
  • Shows
  • Blogs
  • Quizzes
  • Games
  • Random Article
  • Engineering
  • Environmental Science
  • Forces of Nature
  • Innovation
  • Military
  • Physical Science
  • Science Dictionary
  • Science Versus Myth
  • Space
  • Transportation
  • Home / 
  • Science / 
  • Science Dictionary / 
  • Astronomy Terms

by Craig Freudenrich, Ph.D.

More Stuff Like This

Stuff to Blow Your Kid's Mind
Stuff to Blow Your Kid's Mind
Stuff to Blow Your Mind Photo Contest: Win an iPad!
Stuff to Blow Your Mind Photo Contest: Win an iPad!
Which time travel movie will you choose as the worst ever?
Which time travel movie will you choose as the worst ever?
10 Cool Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Hawking
10 Cool Things You Didn't Know About Stephen Hawking
  • Page
  • 2
    What is a Black Hole?
  • 3
    Types of Black Holes
  • 4
    How We Detect Black Holes
  • 5
    Lots More Information

    • Lots More Information

    Related HowStuffWorks Articles

    • How Stars Work­
    • How the Sun Works
    • How Hubble Space Telescope Works
    • How Solar Eclipses Work
    • How Comets Work
    • How Special Relativity Works
    • How Time Travel Will Work
    • Jupiter Explained
    • Neptune Explained
    • Venus Explained
    • Our Amazing Solar System
    • Hole in the Universe Quiz­

    More Great Links

    • Imagine the Universe: What is the mass of Cygnus X-1?
    • Virtual Trips to Black Holes and Neutron Stars
    • Black Holes and Neutron stars
    • NASA's High Energy Astrophysics Science Archive Research Center: Black Holes
    • Cambridge University Relativity: Black Holes
    Print
    Cite This!
    Close 
    Please copy/paste the following text to properly cite this HowStuffWorks article:

    Freudenrich, Ph.D., Craig.  "How Black Holes Work"  26 November 2006.  HowStuffWorks.com. <http://science.howstuffworks.com/dictionary/astronomy-terms/black-hole.htm>  23 May 2012.
    Cite
    Feedback
  • Page
  • 1
    Introduction to How Black Holes Work
  • 2
    What is a Black Hole?
  • 3
    Types of Black Holes
  • 4
    How We Detect Black Holes
  • 5
    Lots More Information

    • All Things Science

    10 Incredible Wind Power Facts
    10 Incredible Wind Power Facts
    10 Remarkable Exoplanets
    10 Remarkable Exoplanets
    Fact or Fiction: Earthquake Quiz
    Fact or Fiction: Earthquake Quiz
    Top 10 Things That Women Invented
    Top 10 Things That Women Invented
    Strange, Spooky, Scary: The Supernatural Quiz
    Strange, Spooky, Scary: The Supernatural Quiz
    Watch 100 Greatest Discoveries videos »

    You Might Also Like

    How Isaac Newton Worked

    The man immortalized on the left was behind the three laws of motion and the universal law of gravitation. He was also competitive, temperamental and fascinated with alchemy. How well do you know Newton?

    How Carl Sagan Worked

    He may have been born in Brooklyn, but Carl Sagan was gunning for the stars as soon as he arrived in this world. Get to know the scientist whose infectious delight in the universe still holds us spellbound.

    Popular Articles

    • Humidity
    • Drought
    • Gneiss
    • MOST WATCHED
    • MOST READ

    • MOST WATCHED

      • Stuff to Blow Your Kid's Mind
      • Stuff You Should Know on Science
      • The Stuff of Genius
      • Stuff They Don't Want You to Know
      • 10 Ways the World Will End

    • MOST READ

      • 10 Future Inventions We Can't Wait to See
      • How Quantum Suicide Works
      • 10 Cool Facts About Stephen Hawking
      • The 10 Most Prevalent Forms of Torture
      • Fact or Fiction: Earthquake Quiz

    Don't Miss

    The Worst Time Travel Movie Ever
    The Worst Time Travel Movie Ever
    The most mind-blowing pic wins an iPad!
    The most mind-blowing pic wins an iPad!
    Stuff They Don't Want You to Know
    Stuff They Don't Want You to Know

    CHECK OUT OUR PODCASTS

    STUFF NATION NEWSLETTER THE HOW BEHIND TODAY'S NEWS
    HOWSTUFFWORKS
    • Adventure
    • Auto
    • Culture
    • Entertainment
    • Health
    • Home & Garden
    • Lifestyle
    • Money
    • Science
    • Tech
    MORE STUFF
    • Blogs
    • Games
    • HSW Tools
    • RSS
    • Maps
    • Podcasts
    • Quizzes
    • Newsletters
    • Video
    OUR WEBSITES
    • Animal Planet
    • Consumer Guide Auto
    • Consumer Guide Products
    • Discovery Channel
    • Discovery Fit & Health
    • HSW Brazil
    • HSW China HowStuffWorks China
    • Investigation Discovery
    • Oprah Winfrey Network
    • Planet Green
    • Science Channel
    • TLC
    • Discovery Education
    • Store
    CUSTOMER SERVICE
    • Advertising
    • Contact Us
    • Help
    CORPORATE
    • About Us
    • Careers @ Discovery
    • Privacy Policy
    • Visitor Agreement
    TAKE US WITH YOU
    FOLLOW US
    © 1998-2012 HowStuffWorks, Inc