Black holes are some of the most mysterious objects in the universe, and they have a profound effect on time. According to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, a black hole’s immense mass warps space-time so strongly that nothing, not even light, can escape from its core. This extreme gravity also dramatically slows down the passage of time near the black hole.

This phenomenon is called gravitational time dilation. To an outside observer, someone falling toward a black hole would appear to move more and more slowly as they approach the event horizon, the boundary beyond which escape is impossible. From the perspective of the person falling in, time might feel normal, but the outside universe would seem to speed up.

The effect is not just theoretical. Scientists studying black holes use these principles to understand phenomena like accretion disks, jets of high-energy particles, and the signals detected by gravitational wave observatories. Black holes show how extreme gravity can bend space and warp time in ways that are impossible under ordinary conditions.

In short, black holes are natural laboratories for understanding the strange behavior of time. Their immense gravity slows time near them, revealing that time is not fixed but deeply connected to the structure of space and the presence of mass. Studying black holes helps us explore the limits of physics and the nature of reality itself.