TOP 10 interesting facts about black holes that will surprise you (10 photos)
Black holes are some of the most mysterious objects in the Universe. They have incredible gravity, absorb light, and bend space. In this article, we will tell you 10 amazing facts that will help you better understand these cosmic anomalies.
Black holes can evaporate
Although black holes are considered "eternal", they are actually slowly evaporating due to the so-called Hawking radiation. Stephen Hawking suggested that black holes can lose mass due to quantum effects. The smaller the mass of a black hole, the faster it evaporates. Small black holes can disappear in billions or even millions of years! 
A supermassive black hole is hidden in the center of our galaxy
At the center of the Milky Way is an object called Sagittarius A*, which is a giant black hole. Its mass exceeds the solar mass by 4 million times! This black hole is not directly visible, but scientists were able to detect it due to the gravitational effect on the surrounding stars. 
Black holes can merge
When two black holes are close enough to each other, they begin to spiral and eventually merge. This process is accompanied by a powerful release of gravitational waves - oscillations in the structure of space-time. In 2015, scientists recorded such waves for the first time, confirming Einstein's predictions. 
Black holes can "tear apart" stars
If a star gets dangerously close to a black hole, its gravity can tear the star apart in a process called tidal disruption. The star's material forms an accretion disk around the black hole, releasing enormous amounts of energy. Astronomers have already observed some of these events in real time. 
Time flows differently inside a black hole
Black holes bend space-time so much that the usual laws of physics stop working inside them. If a person fell into a black hole, everything would happen normally for him, but for an outside observer, he would seem to freeze in time. This effect is associated with extreme gravitational time dilation. 
Black holes may be "portals" to other universes
Some theories suggest that black holes may not only be endpoints, but also portals to other areas of the Universe or even parallel worlds. This is still a hypothesis, but scientists are studying the possibility of the existence of "wormholes" - tunnels connecting different parts of space. 
Black holes can be not only huge, but also microscopic
Most known black holes have the mass of a star or even more, but miniature black holes can theoretically exist. They could have formed in the early Universe due to a dense accumulation of matter. Such objects have not yet been discovered, but their existence is predicted by physical theories. 
Black holes are not quite black
Despite the name, black holes can glow! They are surrounded by accretion disks - rings of hot gas that heat up to millions of degrees as it falls into a gravitational trap. These disks are what make black holes visible to astronomers. 
Black holes can eject jets of plasma
While black holes are known for their ability to swallow matter, they can also eject powerful jets of matter. These relativistic jets are ejected at speeds close to the speed of light and can extend for thousands of light years. This process occurs when matter falls into a black hole but does not have time to cross the event horizon. 
There is a singularity at the center of a black hole
A singularity is a point at the center of a black hole where gravity becomes infinitely strong and the laws of physics stop working. Here, the density of matter reaches incredible values. Scientists cannot yet explain exactly what is happening in this area, but it is assumed that quantum gravity can provide an answer. 
