A black hole is used to refer to an area in the universe characterized by such a powerful force of gravity that it cannot allow anything including light to evacuate the area.

This is the event wherein a large star dies, and after expending almost all its substance at the helm of a black hole, the rest is crammed at a singularity. Around singularity there is the event horizon-the boundary that nothing including information can cross back. One of the most distinctive features of black holes is the strong gravitational force that can even distort space and time.

There are three major types: stellar-mass, which can result from the gravitational collapse of multi-million solar mass stars and is detected through X-ray emissions; intermediate mass, still in formation; and supermassive which can develop in the central regions of galaxies, including the Milky Way, and is identified by radio emission, often from an active nucleus.

Much like learning about any other astronomical bodies, the observations about black holes inform scientists about the basic laws of physics and particulars of matter and energy behavior under certain conditions.