Black holes can grow larger by absorbing nearby stars, gas, and even merging with other black holes.

After a black hole forms, it doesn’t just stay the same size. It can pull in material from its surroundings — like gas clouds, dust, or even stars. Sometimes black holes collide and merge, creating even bigger black holes. This process helps explain how supermassive black holes, millions or billions of times bigger than our Sun, can form over time in galaxy centers.