Cosmic Giants

This passage explores the sizes of black holes, ranging from stellar-mass black holes to supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies. It describes how stellar-mass black holes are several times the mass of the Sun, while supermassive black holes can be millions or billions of times larger. The passage also mentions the largest known black hole, TON 618, which has a mass 66 billion times that of the Sun. It explains the Eddington limit, which defines how much material a black hole can accrete before reaching a balance between gravity and radiation pressure.

Reading about the extreme sizes of black holes promotes vocabulary development, introducing students to scientific terms like “Eddington limit” and “supermassive.” The passage strengthens comprehension skills by explaining how different black hole sizes are formed and measured. It encourages critical thinking as students are challenged to understand the scale of these cosmic giants and the forces at play. Additionally, the passage models precise scientific language and structure, helping students improve their writing and grammar when explaining complex concepts.