Collapsars, Not "Black Holes": A Terminological Reform for 21st‑Century Astrophysics

This article argues for a terminological reform in astrophysics: replacing the misleading term “black hole” with the accurate and historically justified term “gravitational collapsar” (or simply “collapsar”). It is shown that the objects currently called black holes are not “holes” in the literal sense. They are compact massive objects resulting from gravitational collapse, with gravitational fields so strong that the escape velocity at their surface (or at the Schwarzschild radius) exceeds the speed of light. Consequently, neither matter nor radiation can leave such an object. This is not a passage or a tunnel — it is a gravitational trap. The term “black hole” was coined by John Wheeler in 1967 as a vivid metaphor. However, much earlier, in 1964–1965, Soviet physicists Ya. B. Zeldovich and I. D. Novikov introduced the scientifically rigorous term “collapsar”. Unfortunately, Wheeler’s metaphor displaced the precise term from common usage, generating a persistent misconception: many non‑specialists (and even some researchers) interpret “hole” literally — as an opening or portal to another space or universe. Surveys show that up to 60% of people genuinely believe it is possible to travel through a black hole, a notion actively exploited by pseudoscience. The article analyses the negative consequences of using a metaphorical term: terminological confusion, incorrect mental models, and methodological obstacles to developing the physics of transitional objects (wormholes, inter‑brane breakthroughs, quantum tunnels). It is shown that the term “hole” is currently occupied for a purpose it does not serve, while it is needed for objects that may genuinely be transitions between different regions of space‑time or between branes. As a solution, the article proposes: 1. Adopt “gravitational collapsar” (collapsar) as the primary term — accurate, historically grounded, and scientifically neutral. 2. Consider “black hole” an outdated term and use it only in quotation marks when citing. 3. Free the concept of “hole” for hypothetical transition objects: wormholes, inter‑brane holes, interference breakthroughs. The article concludes with a proposed new classification system for compact objects in the Universe, where each term carries a single semantic load. The main principle is: a “hole” is an object through which a transition from one region of space‑time to another is possible; if there is no transition, it is a collapsar (a trap). The author calls on the scientific community to begin the terminological reform today, to prepare the ground for future discoveries and avoid conceptual confusion. Keywords: collapsar, gravitational collapsar, black hole, terminology, astrophysics, wormhole, inter‑brane breakthrough, methodology of science.