Guide to Black Holes

Black holes are a stellar phenomenon in which no matter or energy can escape, including light. While the concept existed since the late 1700s, it wasn't until Albert Einstein postulated his general theory of relativity in 1915 that the modern understanding of the process was envisioned. In the most basic sense, black holes are composed of extremely compact mass deforming spacetime. This results in a undetectable body that will essentially absorb everything that crosses its event horizon. However, it is also believed that black holes do emit a temperature and radiation. Although no concrete proof of a black hole has ever been identified, there are a number of possible examples, most notably a supermassive black hole theorized by astronomers in 1998 in the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

This guide to black holes is designed to help both amateur and advanced astronomers and researchers learn the fundamentals of this spacial phenomenon. Articles are available that define the parameters and physical dynamics of the spacetime formations. Despite the fact that much of what is theorized is speculation, there are certain facts available through observation that make black holes an interesting, if mysterious, feature of the universe.

Black Hole. (Supplied by alain r at Wikimedia Commons; Creative Commons ShareAlike 2.5; http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/BH_LMC.png)