Which one of the following is an object with such a strong gravitational field that even light cannot escape from its surface ?

A black hole is an astronomical object characterized by a gravitational field so intense that its escape velocity exceeds the speed of light [t2][t3]. According to general relativity, when a massive star collapses beyond its Schwarzschild radius, it forms a singularity where spacetime curvature becomes infinite [c4]. The boundary surrounding this singularity is known as the event horizon; once light or matter crosses this threshold, the gravitational pull is so great that nothing can escape [c2][t1]. While white dwarfs and neutron stars are also dense remnants of stellar evolution, they possess surfaces from which light can still radiate [c5][t7]. In contrast, a black hole's gravity is so strong that even photons are trapped, rendering the object 'black' or invisible to direct light observation [c2][t9].

Sources

1. [1] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 1: The Universe, The Big Bang Theory, Galaxies & Stellar Evolution > Black holes > p. 15
2. [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 1: The Universe, The Big Bang Theory, Galaxies & Stellar Evolution > Explanation: > p. 7
3. [3] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 1: The Universe, The Big Bang Theory, Galaxies & Stellar Evolution > White Dwarf > p. 11