This computer-generated image shows an artist's conception of a black hole. The event horizon is depicted as the black sphere in the middle of the picture. The surrounding disk of gas, represented by white and blue rings, whirls around the black hole at different speeds, with the material closest to the black hole approaching the speed of light.
Click on image for full size
Courtesy of NASA
Black Holes Out for a Spin
News story originally written on May 14, 2001
A lot of people like to hear stories about
black holes because they are so mysterious!
A new discovery has been made about black holes - some of them spin! All of the matter and light that comes near a black hole gets drawn into the black hole and is lost forever! Now we know that that material might spin around the black hole first, like water going down your drain!
Can you make up a story about black holes?
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