Black Hole Exhibit
Part of Hall of the Universe.
Timed-entry ticket reservations continue to be required for Museum entry. Facial coverings are strongly recommended. See Health and Safety.
Part of Hall of the Universe.
The Black Hole exhibit in the Cullman Hall of the Universe features a swirling gas sculpture that shows how matter streams into a black hole. The adjacent Black Hole Theater screens short films about the latest astrophysics research.
A black hole is so dense and massive that nothing can escape its gravity, not even light. Gas that falls in forms a disk that heats to millions of degrees, shining at all wavelengths, from X-rays to radio waves, and blowing jets of gas above and below that approach light speed.