us in as even though it's really massive (four million times the mass of the sun) it's gravitational reach does not go very far beyond the very center of our Galaxy. So no need to be worried ; ) dean: question 2) If the nearest star would explode and this would lead to a black hole, what effects would it have on planet earth and the rest of our solar system? riyanatarajan: By the time the nearest one explodes we will not be around, given our life spans! Jason (moderator): Do you have a question you've been waiting to ask? Go for it! To submit your own question, please type it in the box at the bottom of the window and click the 'Ask' button on the right side of the box. Thanks for your patience as we answer your questions. MooCow: so when galaxy canabalism occurs and the massive blackholes join, does the more dominant one become even bigger, is there a limit to the size the black hole? Kevin: We think that when two galaxies merge, their two black holes will fall towards the center of the new, bigger galaxy and merge there. How exactly they merge is not really understood yet and theorists are working on getting them close enough in.... Janus: Were black holes in greater quantity early in the universe's life, or is the quantity larger now? Ezequiel: Excellent question! we know that most (or all) of the galaxies have black holes, and probably had