How Big Can Black Holes Grow?

Black Holes are known for consuming everything that falls into them, but is there a point where these galactic devourers can't stomach anymore?

Hosted by: Hank Green

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[steve]

Eventually they must get so massive that they collapse in on themselves and form a...
Wait....

[Endigo_Vandane]

Why didn't they call it the - Defined Innermost Stable Circular Orbit - or DISCO.

[ThrottleKitty]

SciShow 3019: "Let's find out!"
**Grabs a couple billions stars**

[MiguelAPerez]

This one broke my mind… I need to watch it many more times before I grasp this concept.

[TheHarleyEvans]

that last part actually sounds like a great setting for a distopian sci-fi, all of the black holes in the universe have fallen into one, creating a super stable region where the universe cannot fall any further in, and because the black hole is so large, all matter in the universe is contained within a 10 light year radius, making advanced civilizations meet and come together and to work together to help prevent the creation of more black holes, preventing the "inevitable" singularity rebirth of the universe

[xKuukkelix]

It's called falling into a black hole for the same reason it's called falling to earth. Earth doesn't suck our toes to prevent us from flying away

[jasonsadventure]

The central and insufficiently explain point is @2:33 "at a certain distance matter in the accretion disk is more attracted to itself than to the black hole!?"

Fricken what? How? Why? This is the key and it's not explained.

[Restilia_ch]

Something I didn't actually know. Thanks SciShow!

[Christopher-N]

Here's a thought: usually when something falls into a black hole, it gets torn apart by the extreme tidal forces. So, what happens in this regard when a pair of black holes merge?

[Twinrehz]

"Ooooh, that's an interesting topic"
*5 minutes later*
"So what have we learned?"
"Black holes grow to a specific size because reasons"

[JohnSmith-tdhd]

Thanks for the good news, Hank. I always wondered why gravity hasn't made everything into one big ball.

[Hurricayne]

It's amazing that just a decade ago we knew so little about black holes that we weren't even sure they existed now we know so much about them and even have images.

[oldcowbb]

i'm going to isco instead of costco this weekend

[suhrim]

I want to hear more about this, please. Make this a ten parter.

[dolajakevan]

Hit or missco, I guess we’re in the isco. It has a large mass, has it been eating Cisco? I’m losing my light, goodbye accretion disco.

[stonedhomer]

I would be more interested in how small they can get. =)

[sogerc]

Okay, so then there's no limit, they just can't find more stuff to eat.

[calummcdougall]

Wish hank could host all the sci show videos tbh

[just_kos]

It's not only large galaxies that have a supermassive black hole. Recently, a dwarf galaxy was discovered that has one too. This fits with one theory that a supermassive black hole starts out at the center then gathers material to it, growing a galaxy around it.

[electronicsNmore]

How big can they grow? I keep asking my neighbor that same question when they walk past my house with their large dog that has its tail curved over its back. It leaves land mines everywhere. LOL