Monster of the Milky Way

Astronomers are closing in on the proof they’ve sought for years that one of the most destructive objects in the universe - a super massive black hole - lurks at the center of our own galaxy. Could it flare up and consume our entire galactic neighborhood?

NOVA takes us on a mind-bending investigation into one of the most bizarre corners of cosmological science: black hole research. From event horizon to singularity, the elusive secrets of supermassive black holes are revealed through stunning computer-generated imagery, including an extraordinary simulation of what it might look like to fall into the belly of such an all-devouring beast.

Space, itself, is falling inside the black hole. It’s rather like a river falling over a waterfall. It’s like that, except it’s space, itself, that’s falling over the cliff. There’s a place where the space starts moving faster than light, so, the light is just trying to get out. It’s rather like a kayaker, trying to make their way upstream, on a river that’s going too fast. They get dragged down to the center of the black hole.