A big star holds itself up

Gravity pulls it inwards. Heat from fusion in its core pushes outwards.

When the fuel runs out, it collapses

In stars far heavier than the Sun, the core is crushed and the rest explodes.

Not even light can escape

Inside the event horizon, gravity is so strong that nothing gets back out.

Squeeze the Sun to 6 km across

Packed that tightly, even the Sun would become a black hole.

How a black hole forms