1 Companion star

Some stellar black holes are part of binary systems and are closely associated with another star.

2 Magnetic field lines

As black holes spin, the magnetic fields within their accretion discs will spiral up and down, creating a doughnut-shaped field around them.

3 Jets

At the poles of a spinning black hole, the magnetic field funnels material away from the immense gravitational pull, shooting it out into space in bright jets.

4 Event horizon

The event horizon is the point of no return, where the velocity required to escape the pull of the black hole is greater than the speed of light.

5 Accretion disc

Spinning black holes trap a wide disc of matter that increases in velocity towards the event horizon. Particles rub against each other, glowing with energetic radiation.

6 Singularity

Shielded from view at the very heart of the black hole, matter is crushed to a single point. Physics as we know it falls apart, and space and time cease to exist.