Guiding Questions

• What are the two central ideas behind Einstein’s special theory of relativity?

• How do astronomers search for black holes?

• What are super massive black holes, and where are they found?

• In what sense is a black hole “black”?

• In what way are black holes actually simpler than any other objects in astronomy?

• What happens to an object that falls into a black hole?

• Why do some pulsars emit fantastic amounts of X rays?

• Do black holes last forever?