As the name suggests, a black hole is a mysterious and interesting concept to fathom. Just thinking about it creates a sense of insecurity. Generally, we recognize holes as hollow, in other words, empty space. Instead, black holes are great amounts of matter packed in a small area, consequently creating an extremely strong gravitational field, that even light can’t escape. This idea creates further questions such as, what causes a black hole and what would happen if you fell into one?
What are Black Holes?
As previously mentioned, black holes are created when large masses are condensed into a small space, which then creates a strong gravitational field. As a result, particles and light cannot escape the gravitational pull, so black holes aren’t visible directly. Additionally, they can pull stars towards themselves, which causes x-rays to be emitted into space. Most black holes form from the remnant cores of dead stars that have gone through a supernova explosion. The dead star, which has a mass more than three times that of the Sun, then collapses under the force of gravity. There are two types of black holes; “stellar” black holes and “supermassive” black holes. Stellar black holes are ten times more massive than the Sun, whereas supermassive black holes are over a million times more massive than the Sun. According to scientists, there is an estimated number of ten million to billion stellar black holes in the Milky Way Galaxy. On the other hand, astronomers believe that almost every large galaxy has a supermassive black hole in its center.
Einstein’s Theory of General Relativity
What is general relativity? In Einstein’s theory, the idea of general relativity is related to the forces of gravity, considered as geometric phenomena in terms of the curvature of space-time. Space-time is a mathematical model that creates a four-dimensional manifold by combining one-dimensional time with three-dimensional space. In simplest terms, general relativity explores the idea that gravity comes from the bending of space and time through mass and energy. With that idea in mind, the immense mass of black holes distort space-time and give off energy in the form of radiation. This is a basic description of Einstein’s theory as there are many more elements and even field equations to this idea. So, I would encourage you to further explore this through your research!
What Would Happen If You Fell Into One?
Falling into a black hole is a completely hypothetical idea but very fascinating to think about. To begin with, the gravitational force within a black hole is extremely strong. Your body would most likely change shape. In this case, your body would be stretched out and compressed. This concept is quite literally known as “spaghettification.” Additionally, you would be stretched towards the direction of the black hole due to a tidal effect. However, if you fell into a supermassive black hole, you definitely wouldn’t be able to get out. But the tidal effect would be less, so there would be less stretching. There is another theory of white holes, which are thought to be the opposite of black holes. Also, there is the idea of wormholes, which act as inter-dimensional tunnels. But, white holes and wormholes are concerts that scientists imagine. In the end, the idea of falling into a black hole is clearly not pleasant.
Sources: [1]/[2]/[3]/featured image