- Black holes are regions of space where gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape. They form when massive stars collapse at the end of their life cycles.
- Black holes come in different sizes, from tiny "micro" black holes smaller than an atom to "supermassive" black holes that can be millions of times the sun's mass. The first direct detection of gravitational waves from colliding black holes in 2016 proved their existence.  
- Scientists can detect black holes indirectly by observing their effects on nearby stars and gas through telescopes, as the intense gravity of black holes bends and amplifies light in a detectable way. Black holes themselves remain invisible but their presence can be inferred.