Black holes: why they matter

As NASA’s James Webb Telescope begins to reveal images of the mysteries of the universe, we explore one of the most mysterious of all: black holes. What are they and why are they so important? 00:00 - The mystery of black holes 00:39 - What is a black hole? 01:54 - What are the different types of black holes? 03:12 - Can anything escape a black hole? 04:52 - How do scientists detect black holes? 06:27 - How did scientists create a real image of a black hole? 07:35 - Why black holes appear to defy physics 08:57 - Why are black holes important? Sign up to our weekly science newsletter to keep up to date: https://econ.st/3P2AKGh Watch our previous film in The Essentials series about whether alien life exists: https://econ.st/3P3sBRS The James Webb Space Telescope opens for business: https://econ.st/3nU3ntA How to take a picture of a black hole https://econ.st/3bHJa7z How did astronomers prove black holes exist? https://econ.st/3OWPRku How photographing a black hole earned the Nobel prize: https://econ.st/3bMPwCG Listen to Babbage, The Economist’s podcast on science and technology: https://econ.st/3IekEXX Find all of our science and technology coverage: https://econ.st/3yIPVPK