🌟 1. A Massive Star is Born
Every black hole begins its life as a massive star: at least 8 to 20 times the mass of our Sun. These giants burn bright and fast, fusing hydrogen into helium, then heavier elements, all the way to iron.
💥 2. Iron: The Unforgiving Core
When the core becomes mostly iron, the star hits a dead end. Why? Because fusing iron doesn't release energy, it consumes it. So the internal pressure that held the star up against gravity collapses: just like a royal guard fainting after standing too long.
💣 3. The Supernova Explosion
With no fusion to fight gravity, the core collapses inwards within seconds, while the outer layers explode outward in a cataclysmic supernova, one of the most powerful explosions in the universe.
⚫ 4. The Core's Fate — Neutron Star or Black Hole?
What remains after the explosion is a dense core. Now two things can happen:
* If the core's mass is below ~2.5 times the Sun's mass → it becomes a neutron star.
* If it’s above that limit → gravity wins, and the core collapses into a black hole, crushing matter into a point of infinite density called a singularity.
Gravity becomes so strong that not even light can escape. That’s when the star officially becomes a black hole.
Bonus: Other Ways to Form Black Holes
- Collisions of neutron stars (like smashing two wrecking balls made of atomic nuclei).
- Primordial black holes (hypothetical and formed just after the Big Bang).
- Galactic mergers and accretion, where black holes grow bigger by swallowing mass and merging with others.
Summary in One Line:
A black hole is born when a massive star dies, its core collapses under gravity, and space itself bows so deeply that even light cannot escape.