Name three features or structures commonly found in the environment surrounding a black hole.

Accretion disk, corona, jets, dusty torus

Which type of electromagnetic radiation is primarily used to study the corona of a black hole, and why?

X-rays, because the corona is a superheated plasma of loose electrons that emits a lot of X-rays.

Grade 9th Grade · Science · 10 min

I can describe the extreme environment of black holes and how humans study them.

NASA Goddard · 10:33

Black Hole Environments, Explained

3 key concepts

1
The environments around black holes include a corona of hot electrons, a bright accretion disk of gas and dust, and sometimes jets that span millions of lightyears.
2
Scientists categorize black holes into four types: primordial, intermediate mass, stellar mass, and supermassive.
3
An active galactic nucleus (AGN) can have several different structures, including the accretion disc, corona, and a dusty torus.

3 questions · Multiple choice & Short answer

Quick comprehension check

“Describe two features of the environment surrounding a black hole, and explain how scientists study these features.”

Get all 3 ready-to-use resources:

Teacher GuideComplete lesson plan

Student DocPrintable student handouts

SlidesReady-to-use presentation