A Simple and Easy Discussion on Blackholes

No matter how you spell it – black hole or blackhole – you know what you’re referring to…or don’t you? Let all your questions be answered as you read on.

Why Should You Study about Blackholes?
Blackholes are one of the strangest theories put forward by scientists but they’re one of the most interesting as well. If you’re looking for a scientific matter that won’t put you to sleep, a blackhole is definitely one of them. Also, if you’re experiencing difficulties understanding the laws of gravity, blackholes will allow you a clearer – albeit more terrifying in some context – understanding of how gravity works. And lastly, if you’re still torn up between the Big Bang theory and the biblical version of creation, the theory of blackholes will put all your doubts to rest.

What are Blackholes?

If you recall your old lessons on Greek mythology, you probably know the two terrors of the seas, Scylla and Charybdis, and which Greek sailors are extremely afraid of. Scylla was a monster that threatened anything and anyone that was within its reach while Charybdis took shape of a massive mouth creating whirlpools and causing people and ships to sink into oblivion. A blackhole isn't a Scylla, but it’s definitely close to a Charybdis.

A blackhole is an incredibly vast region of blackness or nether space. This region contains an inordinate amount of mass, and because of this, anything that’s within its orbit will be sucked in because of the pull of gravity.

And before you start questioning once more about the mechanics of gravity and just what the heck Albert Einstein was talking about, here’s how to understand blackholes…and gravity.

Think of throwing a rock up in the air. It will go up for a short period of time before descending. Now, let’s say that you have enough speed and force to throw the rock in the air and defeat the pull of gravity of Earth. This amount of speed and force is called escape velocity. Escape velocity is directly proportional to the mass of the planet or object. Escape velocity, however, is also affected by the distance of the object from the gravitational center of the region.

Weight is different from mass. That’s why, in Galileo’s experiment, two different objects still fell to the ground in the same time. So when you’re considering the pull of gravity, you should think about the region’s mass and not the weight of the object.

So let’s go back to blackholes. A blackhole, because its mass is so much greater than its size, has an incredibly powerful gravitational pull. And that’s why everything that comes near it will get sucked in with no chance of escape.

How is a Blackhole Formed?
A blackhole has a definite origin, but it’s still unknown whether it has a definite end. A blackhole is born from stars or any other enormous space object. Stars live for thousands and thousands of years, but they die eventually. Nuclear fusion exists within stars and these produce electromagnetic radiation. As a star becomes older, the power that’s behind its nuclear fusion decreases in proportion. When its source of power is completely used up, electromagnetic radiation naturally goes down as well and consequently causing the star to collapse. If it has adequate size and mass, it will become a blackhole. If has insufficient size or mass, it will end up a neutron or dwarf star, and a good example of the latter is Pluto, which has been demoted from its previous ranking as a planet.

Getting Sucked in a Blackhole
Almost everyone who has studied about blackholes are interested in knowing their fate if they were unlucky enough to fall into one. If that’s what you want to know as well as prepare for your future.

Let’s say that you actually have the means of going into space but you’re unfortunate enough to fall into a blackhole. Upon physically entering the region of blackness, your body will also enter a state of weightlessness, and it’s like feeling that you’re as light as a feather. As you go deeper, however, you’ll feel that you’re slowly being stretched. This feeling will continue stretching and stretching until you’re finally stretched into several pieces.

And that of course spells your end…and this discussion.

Digg

Furl

Reddit

del.icio.us

Learn Astronomy News
The latest and greatest from the Learn Astronomy world

Home Page

Astronomy Articles: