This illustration shows a binary system containing a stellar-mass black hole called IGR J17091-3624. The outflow of energy from the central regions of the star provides the pressure necessary to keep the star from collapsing under its own weight. Stars are fueled by the nuclear fusion of hydrogen, which forms helium and other elements deep in their interiors. They comprise one of the possible endpoints of the lives of high-mass stars. Stellar-mass black holes are found throughout our Milky Way galaxy and have masses less than about 100 times that of our Sun. There are three different types of black holes, categorized by their size: stellar-mass, intermediate-mass, and supermassive black holes. Scientists know how some types of black holes form, yet the formation of others is a mystery.
We can surmise a lot about the origin of black holes from their size. Black holes come in various sizes and can exist throughout space. In fact, a black hole contains a great amount of matter packed into a relatively small space.
Contrary to their name’s implication, black holes are not empty. Because not even light can escape, a black hole is literally black. Matter and radiation fall in, but they can’t get out. A black hole’s outer edge, called its event horizon, defines the spherical boundary where the velocity needed to escape exceeds the speed of light. A black hole is a location in space with a gravitational pull so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape it.
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