The nearest known black hole, called Gaia BH1, is about 1,500 light-years away.

The most distant black hole detected, at the center of a galaxy called QSO J0313-1806, is around 13 billion light-years away.

The most massive black hole observed, TON 618, tips the scales at 66 billion times the Sun’s mass.

The lightest-known black hole is only 3.8 times the Sun’s mass. It’s paired up with a star.

A real term that describes what happens when matter gets too close to a black hole. It’s squeezed horizontally and stretched vertically, resembling a noodle.

All black holes spin. The fastest-known – named GRS 1915+105 – clocks in at over 1,000 rotations per second.

Monster black holes at the centers of galaxies can launch particles to near light speed.

If you replaced the Sun with a black hole of the same mass, the solar system would get a lot colder, but the planets would stay in their orbits.

One type of black hole is born when massive stars run out of fuel and explode in supernovae.

Most Milky Way-sized galaxies have monster black holes at their centers. Our is called Sagittarius A* (pronounced ey-star), and it’s 4 million times the Sun’s mass.