The black hole is a common name for a ride that is a combination of two popular ride types, the roller coaster

Roller coaster

The roller coaster is a popular amusement ride developed for amusement parks and modern theme parks. LaMarcus Adna Thompson patented the first coasters on January 20, 1885...

 and the dark ride

Dark ride

A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride where riders in guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music, and special effects....

. The ride may take place either in pitch darkness (e.g. the now-defunct Black Hole at Alton Towers

Alton Towers

Alton Towers is a theme park and resort located in Staffordshire, England. It attracts around 2.7 million visitors per year making it the most visited theme park in the United Kingdom. Alton Towers is also the 9th most visited theme park in Europe...

) or in near-darkness with ultraviolet

Ultraviolet

Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...

 or similar lighting effects (e.g. the Space Invader at Blackpool Pleasure Beach). Some black-hole rides are purpose-built, most famously the Space Mountain

Space Mountain

Space Mountain is the name of a space-themed indoor roller coaster attraction located at all five Magic Kingdom-style Disney Parks. Although all five versions of the attraction are different in nature, all have a similar domed exterior façade that is a landmark for the respective park.The name can...

 rides at various Disney parks, while others are modifications of standard coasters (e.g. the Alton Towers Black Hole was a Schwarzkopf

Anton Schwarzkopf

Anton Schwarzkopf was a German engineer of amusement rides, and founder of the Schwarzkopf Industries company, which built numerous rides and large roller coasters for both amusement parks and travelling funfairs....

Jet Star enclosed in a light-tight building).