How many planets can fit in a black hole?
James Olson
Updated on May 18, 2026
A black hole could have 1 million planets orbiting near it that are potentially capable of supporting life as we know it, an astrophysicist suggests.
How many planets go in black hole?
“We expect more than 10,000 planets around one supermassive black hole because the total amount of dust [there] is enormous.” That's a lot of unexplored cosmic real estate. So planets could potentially form around black holes, but that's no guarantee that they offer a life-friendly environment.How much can fit in a black hole?
It has a mass equal to about 4 million suns and would fit inside a very large ball that could hold a few million Earths.What planets are in black holes?
Planet nine might be a primordial black holeThe closest confirmed black hole to Earth lies in a triple-star system called HR 6819, roughly 1,000 light-years away. It's about four times the mass of the sun — comparatively light in the scope of the universe.