outer space

Black Holes and Supernovas

definitions

• Black Hole - A place where there is an intense gravitational field so
• strong that not even light can escape its grip.
• Supernova - a star that has collapsed after its central fuel was used up,  
• then exploded, realeasing tremendous amounts of energy

This yellow ring and reddish blob are the remains of supernova 1987A, a star whose explosion was seen from Earth in 1987. the blue stars to the the left and right of the explosion are not associated with the supernova.

Black holes are the remnants of large stars that have exploded in supernovas. Scientist suspect that this disk of cold gases and dust is being pulled inward by a black hole at the center.

galaxies

Birth of Galaxies
In a way, galaxies begin as stars do, but on a much grander scale. About one billion years after the Big Bang - the initial explosion that astronomers started the universe - the gravity of huge clouds of gas and dust pulled material together in enormous clumps. Slowly at first, then faster and faster, the clouds pulled more and more in from there surroundings. Eventually, the clouds began to take on shapes because of the influence of their own gravity and evolved into galaxies

Stars

Did You Know...
The Pleiades or seven sisters, is a cluster of stars, seven of which can be seen on a very clear night with the naked eye. Its made up of hundreds of of relatively young stars, still surrounded by dust from the clouds out of which they formed.

sources

• Volume 6 Stars and Galaxies By Clint Hatchett