NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The information in this document was accurate as of the original publication date.

Audience: Educators
Grades: 8-12


In 1798, the French mathematician Pierre Laplace used Newton's Laws of Physics (the three laws plus the Law of Universal Gravitation) to imagine the concept of what later became known as a black hole. This introduction explains the first thoughts about black holes and how they are formed. It also contains a list of known black holes. And the introduction discusses the common misconception that black holes suck: In reality, they do not.

A Short Introduction to Black Holes [50KB PDF file]

This document is part of Black Hole Math.