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Silent Black Hole Formation
- Many massive stars collapse directly into black holes without a supernova, a phenomenon astronomers call a "massive fail."
- These direct collapses can produce heavier black holes because less stellar mass is blown away.
Black Holes Are Ultra-Dense Objects
- Black holes are extremely dense objects, effectively the opposite of 'holes' because they cram vast mass into tiny volumes.
- Their gravity can be so strong that even light cannot escape, though they can emit radiation via processes like Hawking radiation and accretion 'burps.'
Neutron Star Density In Everyday Terms
- James describes a neutron star as so dense that a sugar-cube-sized piece would weigh a billion tons.
- He jokes that dropping a marshmallow onto a neutron star would have the force of an atomic bomb due to gravity.