Stellar Astronomy: Part 7 – Black Holes

In the previous article, we examined white dwarfs and neutron stars, objects with the mass of a star compressed into a very small volume.  Some of these objects could be what remains of a star that has collapsed in on itself.  But what happens when mass is compressed into an even smaller volume?

Stellar Astronomy: Part 6 – White Dwarfs and Neutron Stars

In a star, the outward flow of energy generated by nuclear fusion in the core balances the inward pull of gravity.  Without such fusion, a star would collapse into a very small volume.  And indeed, the universe contains objects with a mass comparable to that of a star, but with a size comparable to the Earth.  These are called white dwarfs.