A new era of astronomy has begun. What begins as a star’s cataclysmic explosion in a violent supernova results in one of the most mysterious phenomena in our universe: a black hole. Black holes are the makings of science fiction, with fantasies of tunnel passageways that travel through space and time dominating the imagination. Nothing survives a black hole; it’s gravitational pull twists space and time into a furious knot so strong that not even light can escape, making the likelihood of locating a passageway inside almost impossible. Are black holes a rare freak of nature or does the universe hide many of these mysterious phenomena? 125 billion galaxies make up the visible universe, with every major galaxy housing a black hole. Indeed, even our own Milky Way harbours a super-massive black hole, 50 million kilometres wide at the very centre of the galaxy. What role do black holes play in attracting matter together within the spider”s web of gas and galaxies? And, with their voracious appetites, what”s to prevent a black hole from wiping out solar systems like our own?
