As we have described a black hole, we never can observe one of them because they would not reflect or emit any radiation or particle. But there are certain effects that can be detected. One of these effects is the gravitational effect on a neighboring star.
Suppose a binary star system (two stars so close to turning the one around the other) in which one of the stars is visible and than we can calculate its distance from Earth, and its mass. The visible star will make a few oscillatory movements in space due to the gravitational attraction of the invisible star. From these movements we can calculate the mass of the invisible star .
If this invisible star exceeds a mass of about 2.5 times the mass of our Sun, we must assume that it’s a black hole.