How do black holes form in nature?
Stars come in many sizes. Black holes form when a star with enough mass runs out of fuel. Stars burn hydrogen gas in a process known as fusion, which combines two lighter atoms to form a heavier atom. Fusion releases heat energy (outward pressure) which keeps a star’s gravity from crushing it (inward pressure). A star runs out of fuel when fusion uses more energy than it releases. When there is no heat energy to resist the gravity, the star collapses which releases enormous amounts of energy. If the star is larger than 8 suns, it blows off its top layers in a huge explosion known as a supernova. What’s left is known as a collapsed star or a stellar remnant. If the collapsed star has… • less mass than 1.4 suns, the star is held up because the electrons in the star’s atoms repel other electrons causing outward pressure known as electron degeneracy. The star becomes a white dwarf. • more mass than 1.4 suns, gravity pushes the electrons into the atomic nuclei. When negative charged elect
