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How Do We Detect Black Holes?

Black holes are invisible due to their immense gravitational pull. It is so strong that not even light can escape, rendering the black hole literally invisible in space. The only way to locate these strange objects is to observe the things they affect around them. Modern telescopes, satellites and light detectors have allowed scientists to observe regions of deep space in much greater detail. This detail is vital to catching the clues that lead us to a point in space that is likely to be a black hole.

Instructions

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  Detecting X-Rays using satellites is one way of locating a black hole. X-Ray detectors have to be used in space as the X-Rays do not penetrate the atmosphere. Detecting the direction of a strong X-Ray source can pinpoint the exact location of a black hole. Swirling particles around black holes emit large amounts of X-Rays.
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  Observing the movement of stars can also indicate the presence of a black hole. Calculating the mass of a star and tracking its orbit can determine the mass of the object around which it is orbiting. If this object is invisible, then there is a very good chance that it is a black hole, pulling the star around it.
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  Detecting a gravity lens is yet another method used in finding black holes. Light bends as it passes the immense gravitational pull around the black hole. Examining deep space images closely has at times revealed this warping, or lensing effect. Lensing shows objects as being dislocated or distorted, much like objects look warped when viewed through thick glass.
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  The last way of detecting a black hole is an unlikely scenario, however, the effects would eventually become highly noticeable. A black hole entering our solar system would cause gravitational havoc and lead to the eventual destruction of all solar bodies including the earth and the sun.

Astronomy