What Is a Black Hole and Why Can't We Escape It?

A black hole is like a super strong vacuum cleaner in space. Imagine you're holding on to a string that's tied around your waist, and the other end of the string is attached to a very fast spinning merry-go-round. When the merry-go-round spins really fast, it pulls you toward it, kind of like what happens to things near a black hole. If you get too close, even light can't escape it, and that’s why we call it a black hole.