Black holes are the most extreme objects in the universe — regions where gravity has won so completely that not even light can escape. We unpack what a black hole actually is, how one forms when a massive star dies, and what would really happen if you fell into one. Along the way we dismantle the biggest myth about them: they are not cosmic vacuum cleaners hoovering up the galaxy.

You'll come away understanding what an event horizon is, why time behaves so strangely near one, and why the supermassive black hole at the centre of our own galaxy is surprisingly quiet.

Talking Science is sponsored by Kinsoft. Visit www.kinsoft.com.au

Further reading: NASA black hole overview; Event Horizon Telescope collaboration; ESA science pages.