What type of black hole is formed from the collapse of a giant star?

A stellar black hole is formed from the collapse of a giant star. When a sufficiently massive star exhausts its nuclear fuel, it can no longer support its core against gravity. The core collapses catastrophically, while the outer layers may be expelled in a supernova explosion.

If the remaining core is massive enough, its collapse continues past the neutron-star stage and produces a black hole. The resulting object is called a stellar black hole because it forms from a single star, distinguishing it from supermassive black holes found in galactic centers.

The term “giant star” is a useful quiz description, but not every large star becomes a black hole. The final outcome depends on the star’s initial mass, mass loss, composition, rotation, and the mass of its remnant. Some stellar deaths leave neutron stars instead. Intermediate black holes are larger proposed objects whose origins remain an active research topic, while primordial black holes would have formed in the early universe rather than from stars.