Black holes are regions in space where gravity is so strong that nothing—not even light—can escape. They form when massive stars collapse under their own gravity after exhausting their fuel.

Black holes can be small (stellar-mass), or supermassive, like the one at the center of our Milky Way—Sagittarius A*. They distort space and time, forming what’s known as an event horizon.

Dark matter is a mysterious form of matter that doesn’t emit, absorb, or reflect light—but makes up about 27% of the universe. Its presence is inferred from its gravitational effects on visible matter and light.

• Black Holes: Detected by observing how nearby stars orbit or how X-rays are emitted as matter is pulled in.
• Dark Matter: Observed through gravitational lensing and galaxy rotation speeds that defy Newtonian predictions.

Together, black holes and dark matter reveal the hidden structure and extreme forces that shape our universe. They are also central to ongoing research into quantum gravity and unified theories.