The Formation of Stellar Mass Black Holes


Stellar Mass Black Hole

A Stellar Mass Black Hole

Most beleive that a black hole is the result of a collapsed star.  However, did you know that not all black holes come from a star?  Those that do actually have a special name – the stellar black hole.  But what does the formation of a stellar mass black hole consist of?

When a massive star collapses due to powerful gravitational forces, a stellar black hole is formed.  What is considered a massive star?  Generally, this would be a star that is larger than 20 solar masses, or 20 times larger than our own Sun.

All stars collapse – this is part of the life cycle of a star as its energy is depleted.  Smaller stars, those that have a mass of under 20 solar masses, typically turn into a more condensed star upon collapse, such as a white dwarf star.  However, the collapse of larger stars is much more intense, and this collapse actually results in a black hole.

While it may seem as though a stellar black hole would be the largest black holes, there is observational proof that other types of black holes exist that are much larger than a stellar mass black hole.  They are supermassive black holes and intermediate-mass black holes.  However, discussion of these types of black holes will come in future posts.

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13 Responses to “The Formation of Stellar Mass Black Holes”

  • Lily says:

    !!!! WOW!!!!!!! that is sooooooooooo kool!

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  • Amelia says:

    What would happen if a rocket were to encounter a black hole? What would happen?

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    Greg - Staff Writer replied:

    Thanks for the question Amelia. Unfortunately, no one knows! Some people theorize that there is an opposite side of a black hole, called a white hole. You would emerge through this white hole in a different part of the universe. The thing connecting a black hole to a white hole is called a worm hole.

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    Savanna replied:

    I didnt know anything about black holes. Now I know a lot about them.
    Thanks:)

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  • Iris says:

    Is a white hole actually white?

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  • Sandman Jr. says:

    What were to happen say if, our solar sysetem was to be sucked through a stellar black hole? Would we suffocate due to our atmosphere depleting? Or what?

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    BVC replied:

    idk, but wouldn’t it be cool if someone went through a black hole and lived to tell about it?

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  • Daniel J T...... says:

    I believe the intense gravity pull would break down everything in a molecular particles, what ever is facing the black hole would just spaghetti-size into violet chaotic super ultra heated grinder..I think I take the plume of blasted gamma rays traveling the speed of light coming out the other end of a black hole over being turned to minced planet bits..Hm, don’t know if we’re would suffer thou, I think suffering is more in knowing on what’s happening, hens taking the blast of gamma over the grinder!

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  • A Silva says:

    Huh? What kinda question is that? We would be torn down to the atomic level. First we would probably vaporize into a super heated plasma due to the pull and velocity of being sucked towards the Singularity (Black hole). us and everything in our solar system. Our star included. That’s after the cataclysmic disasters we would be hit with as the Singularity approached our system. We might even be flung out of our orbit and and into one of our sister planets or even our star if the black hole approached from the opposite side of the star in relation to where we would be at that particular time around our star.
    So no, it would not be good. I don’t think anything can survive entry into a Singularity. If the singularity at the center of our own galaxy can fling stars around it at millions of miles per hour if not more, then imagin the gravitational pull it exerts. What do you think that would do to soft human tissue?
    I hope this answers your questions. Don’t worry, I asked the same type of questions when I was a little kid too.

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  • smittey says:

    that is so cool and interestering

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  • Amy Beth Whitfield says:

    Did you know if you go in a large black hole you would be curushed but if you go in a ex large black hole you could go in like you were sky diving (If you were in astronots suit.)?

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  • Raj says:

    What would happen if 2 black holes will collapse with each other and is it real that there is a another world inside,the black hole

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  • Mikaila.c.b says:

    That’s awesome

    [Reply]

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