Black hole quiz: How deep is your gravitational knowledge?

An illustration of two black holes merging, with golden disks swirling around them in the darkness of space.

An artist's concept of two black holes circling each other before merging. For the first time in history, scientists have directly observed a black hole merger, using the Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO). (Image credit: NASA)

In the vast tapestry of the universe, few phenomena are as mysterious and awe-inspiring as black holes.

These cosmic enigmas defy our everyday understanding of space and time, swallowing light and matter and pushing the laws of physics to the extreme. From the hearts of dying stars to the centers of galaxies, black holes lurk in the shadows, shaping the cosmos in ways we're only beginning to comprehend.

As you navigate this space-themed challenge, expect to encounter Einstein's relativity, Hawking radiation, and the strange paradoxes that make black holes the ultimate playground for theoretical physics.

Whether you're a seasoned stargazer or a curious newcomer to astrophysics, you'll encounter questions that challenge your knowledge of how black holes form, what happens beyond their event horizons, and the mind-bending theories that attempt to explain their behavior.

Try it out below and see how well you score!

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Kenna Hughes-Castleberry is the Content Manager at Space.com. Formerly, she was the Science Communicator at JILA, a physics research institute. Kenna is also a freelance science journalist. Her beats include quantum technology, AI, animal intelligence, corvids, and cephalopods.

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