First page Back Continue Last page Overview Graphics

Where Are Black Holes Located?


Notes:

Where are black holes located?
Black holes are everywhere! As far as astronomers can tell, there are probably millions of black holes in our Milky Way Galaxy alone. That may sound like a lot, but the nearest one discovered is still 1600 light years away— a pretty fair distance, about 16 quadrillion kilometers! That’s certainly too far away to affect us. The giant black hole in the center of the Galaxy is even farther away: at a distance of 30,000 light years, we’re in no danger of being sucked in to the vortex.
For a black hole to be dangerous, it would have to be very close, probably less than a light year away. Not only are there no black holes that close, there aren’t any known that will ever get that close. So don’t fret too much over getting spaghettified anytime soon.