Black Hole Environments, Explained

If light can’t escape black holes, how do we know where they are? The regions around them tell an incredible story. From blazing coronas and swirling accretion disks to powerful jets that stretch millions of miles, these extreme environments reveal black holes' secrets and how these mysterious objects shape the universe. Join host Sophia Roberts as she talks with researchers Jenna Cann and Cecilia Chirenti at NASA Goddard about how scientists study these mysterious structures, the challenges of observing the unseeable, and the discoveries that continue to change our understanding of black holes. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Music credits from Universal Production Music:"Breaking the Barrier," David Bertrand Holland"Dust Spirals," Alexandre Prodhomme"Miniature Universe," Geoffrey Wilkinson"Urban Decay," Sarah Natasha Penelope Warne"Solar Plexus," Brandon Seliga"Polygraph," Eric Chevalier"The Mischief Makers," Joaquim Badia"Maelstrom Dream," Lucie Rose"The Truth Will Out," Chris Dony and Beth Perry

This artist’s concept shows the different structures that compose an active galactic nucleus. It starts with a full view and then points out the photon ring, corona, jet, accretion disk, and dusty torus before ending on the full view.Credit: NASA Goddard Space Flight Center’s Conceptual Image Lab

Black holes are wild! Learn some quick facts about these extreme objects with host Sophia Roberts. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Music credits from Universal Production Music: "Breaking the Barrier," David Bertrand Holland "Dust Spirals," Alexandre Prodhomme

Take a quick tour of the evironment around a black hole with host Sophia Roberts.Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Music credits from Universal Production Music: "Solar Plexus," Brandon Seliga "Dust Spirals," Alexandre Prodhomme "Polygraph," Eric Chevalier "The Mischief Makers," Joaquim Badia "Maelstrom Dream," Lucie Rose

Host Sophia Roberts provides an overview of the different types of black holes. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Music credits from Universal Production Music: "Miniature Universe," Geoffrey Wilkinson "Urban Decay," Sarah Natasha Penelop Warne

Learn how black holes power high-speed particle jets with host Sophia Roberts and researcher Cecilia Chirenti. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Music credits from Universal Production Music: "Maelstrom Dream," Lucie Rose "The Truth Will Out," Chris Dony and Beth Perry