By creating an account, you acknowledge that PBS may share your information with our member stations and our respective service providers, and that you have read and understand the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Become a NHPBS member to enjoy
NHPBS
Passport
Get extended access to 1600+ episodes, binge watch your favorite shows, and stream anytime - online
or in the PBS app.
Season 5 Episode 24 | 11m 20s
| Video has closed captioning.
When we first realized that black holes could have masses of millions or even billions of times that of the sun, it came as a bit of a shock. They were discovered as the driving force behind quasars, where matter is heated to extreme incandescence before its plunge into vast black holes. But if that weren’t enough, we soon realized that every decent-sized galaxy contains a supermassive black hole.