In Brief

#BlackHoleFriday Takes NASA By Storm

Black hole with accretion disk and jets
Artist's conception of a black hole with an accretion disk, and jets of hot plasma. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech)

It's Black Friday and if you're a space fan looking to escape from shopping madness, NASA has what you need: #BlackHoleFriday.

For the fifth year in a row, NASA is showcasing its latest and greatest black hole discoveries with a cosmic takeover of the space agency's homepage and social media channels.

"It may be the Black Friday shopping holiday, but for us, it's the space version - the fifth annual #BlackHoleFriday," NASA officials wrote in a statement. "Today, NASA's social media accounts and website will post pictures and share information about black holes, regions in space where the pulling force of gravity is so strong that light is not able to escape. In recent years, NASA instruments have painted a new picture of these strange objects that are, to many, the most fascinating objects in space."

You can make the most of your #BlackHoleFriday at NASA.gov here. And if you're looking for space-age swag, the European Space Agency's store is hosting an actual Black Hole Friday Sale online. You can see what's available at the ESAshop here

But if you truly must shop, Space.com has you covered too. Check out our Black Friday and gift guides for kids and adults here:

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Tariq Malik
Editor-in-Chief

Tariq is the Editor-in-Chief of Space.com and joined the team in 2001, first as an intern and staff writer, and later as an editor. He covers human spaceflight, exploration and space science, as well as skywatching and entertainment. He became Space.com's Managing Editor in 2009 and Editor-in-Chief in 2019. Before joining Space.com, Tariq was a staff reporter for The Los Angeles Times covering education and city beats in La Habra, Fullerton and Huntington Beach. In October 2022, Tariq received the Harry Kolcum Award for excellence in space reporting from the National Space Club Florida Committee. He is also an Eagle Scout (yes, he has the Space Exploration merit badge) and went to Space Camp four times as a kid and a fifth time as an adult. He has journalism degrees from the University of Southern California and New York University. You can find Tariq at Space.com and as the co-host to the This Week In Space podcast with space historian Rod Pyle on the TWiT network. To see his latest project, you can follow Tariq on Twitter @tariqjmalik.