No. Stars like the Sun just aren't massive enough to become black holes. Instead, in several billion years, the Sun will cast off its outer layers, and its core will form a white dwarf - a dense ball of carbon and oxygen that no longer produces nuclear energy, but that shines because it is very hot. A typical white dwarf is about as massive as the Sun, but only as big as Earth, which is one percent of the Sun's present diameter.
Other FAQs
Are any black holes close to Earth?
What is the biggest black hole?
What happens when you get close to a black hole?
Are black holes 'doorways' to other parts of the universe?
Can anything ever escape from a black hole?
How many black holes are there?
How can a black hole's own gravity, but not light, escape from it?
Where did the name 'black hole' come from?
Will our universe become a black hole?
Survey
Did you find what you were looking for on this site? Take our site survey and let us know what you think.
Copyright ©2005-2013 University of Texas McDonald Observatory | About this Site | Karl Gebhardt's Research | Enciclopedia de agujeros negros
Funding provided by NASA and the National Science Foundation