Throughout the modern era of astronomy, a single type of celestial object has puzzled astronomers more than any other. Black holes, whose existence was only verified in the early 1990’s, have fascinated scientists ever since Einstein first proposed the theoretical concept in the 1930’s. A black hole is an object so tiny, but also so dense, that it has the power to pull planets, stars, and even light into its core, and ultimately destroy everything in its path. Over the past decade much has been discovered about these enigmas of space and time; however, many of these recent discoveries lead to more unanswered questions. Nevertheless, the basic life cycle of a black hole is now understood in ways thought to be impossible only twenty years ago.
In order to begin to grasp the destructive force of a black hole, one must first understand its creation. Oddly enough, a black hole can only be formed from the death of a star, but no ordinary star can create a black hole; it has to be a super-massive star. Stars consist mainly of hydrogen, and the hydrogen atoms are under such great pressure that they collide and cause a fusion reaction, which creates helium. This constant fusion reaction within the star is what keeps it from collapsing onto itself, thereby sustaining its massive size for billions of years. When a normal-sized star begins to run out of hydrogen, eventually the entire star will begin to run out of hydrogen and the star will actually expand and engulf the inner planets (including earth) before contracting. An average sized star like that of our sun will now become the size of the Earth (Ando, 2004).
This is called a white dwarf, and although white dwarves are too dim to be seen from Earth with the naked eye, they doe cont...
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there is one object that stands to elude scientists still, the black hole. Albert Einstein, and all the brilliant scientists after his, help to design and create a part of the universe that’s very crucial to understanding existence. The perimeters of a black hole have been a great this that has been discussed and observed to the point where it eventually becomes clear as its compared to objects around or like it. The physics of the black holes existence is still unclear for it shows properties that support
Understanding Black Holes A Black hole is a theorized celestial body whose surface gravity is so strong that nothing, including light, can escape from within it's surface. Gravity is the key to a black hole's immense power. The black hole's strong gravity keeps captured material from escaping. For example, if Earth were the same mass it is now but had only one-fourth its present radius, the escape velocity of someone standing on its surface would be twice what it is now. Black
will it end?” This quote by Stephen Hawking, a physicist famous for his work in theoretical physics, illustrates his fascination with the universe. Hawking has been known for the development of theories about the universe, including his work on black holes and theories on the origins of the cosmos. Aside from his amazing discoveries, Hawking has a unique personal story. (Stephen Hawking's Universe) He was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), a debilitating neurological disease that
periodic table, where did the stars come from and what lies at the end of the universe? I think the one question that always had my attention was what is a black hole. I can remember asking my parents when I was at about the age of eight or nine what a black hole was, and what was its purpose. Like most people, not really knowing themselves what a black hole was they kind of made up some wild crazy story hoping that I was to young to know the difference between fact or fiction. Later on in life I found myself
Black holes are the result of the death of a massive star, leaving behind a dense remnant core that eventually collapses to create a gravitational force so strong that nothing, including light, can escape the force. The theory that black holes existed started back in the early 1900s and since then astronomers and scientists have been trying to get a better understanding of them. This phenomenon has been a working progress for astronomers and scientists for many years and as we develop a better understanding
Black holes - the strange scientific phenomenon that has astounded physicists and astronomers alike for decades. Popular subjects in science fiction novels, black holes are one of the greatest enigmas of the scientific world. Even today, the concept of a super-dense ball of matter that not even light can escape from is somewhat farfetched, and many scientists disagree with each other about nearly every aspect of a black hole. This project will attempt to shed some light on these mysterious formations
Black Holes Every day we look out upon the night sky, wondering and dreaming of what lies beyond our planet. The universe that we live in is so diverse and unique, and it interests us to learn about all the variance that lies beyond our grasp. Within this marvel of wonders, our universe holds a mystery that is very difficult to understand because of the complications that arise when trying to examine and explore the principles of space. That mystery happens to be that of the ever elusive, black
revolutionary ideas evolving around black holes and their role in the universe. One of his influences to physics includes his work researching a certain type of radiation named after Hawking himself. Hawking radiation is the emission of particles of a black hole (Uehling). Hawking discovered that there are subatomic particles coming from the black hole which then releases a form of radiation. Because of Hawking’s discovery, we have learned more about how black holes can disappear. ...
Chapter 6 talks about the life and function of a black hole. The term black hole was originated by a scientist named John Wheeler. To understand the birth of a black hole, the knowledge of the life cycle of a star is crucial. A star is formed when a large amount of gas (mostly made of from hydrogen) collapsed on itself and the atoms collide. At some point the heat will be so high due to the collision of atoms that all motion will stop which is what causes a star to shine. When a star runs out of
For the Science Reader project, I read Black Holes, Wormholes, and Time Machines by Jim Al-Khalili. Interested in time travel and the secrets of space, I chose this book with hopes of better understanding our universe. Starting with black holes, Khalili describes the creation of one. I found that a black hole is what remains when a massive star dies. Because stars are so massive and made out of gas, there is an intense gravitational field that is always trying to collapse the star. As the star dies
Black Holes Black holes are objects so dense that not even light can escape their gravity, and since nothing can travel faster than light, nothing can escape from inside a black hole. Loosely speaking, a black hole is a region of space that has so much mass concentrated in it that there is no way for a nearby object to escape its gravitational pull. Since our best theory of gravity at the moment is Einstein's general theory of relativity, we have to delve into some results of this theory to understand
Hawking originally studied at Oxford University in England studying physics even though he would have preferred math. He moved onto Cambridge University to work on his PhD in cosmology. Hawking's career has focused upon the cosmic entities known as black holes, and has extended to specialized areas such as quantum gravity, particle physics, and supersymmetry. A field of study that Stephen Hawking is known for is cosmology. Cosmology is the metaphysical study of the origin and nature of the universe
research of black holes and quantum physics which influence our modern day physics. Stephen Hawking has influenced physics by his incredible work and data explaining his revolutionary ideas evolving around black holes and their role in the universe. One of his influences to physics includes his work researching a certain type of radiation named after Hawking himself which is called Hawking radiation (Uehling). Hawking discovered that there are subatomic particles coming from the black hole which then
quasar consists of a supermassive black hole surrounded by a cloud of dust that allows for focused beams of radiation. Quasars usually are only seen in moderately young galaxies, as they require a large amount of matter, commonly known as “stardust,” to keep the beam going. This energy source has to be extremely compact to give the quasar enough energy to exist. Once this fuel runs out, though, the quasar ceases to be and becomes a normal supermassive black hole. Pulsars, on the other hand, are the
As a physics loving kid who joined the astronomy club in his school out of a simple curiosity to explore the unknown, the choice changed my life in more profound ways than the kid ever knew. It was my first contact with the term “Black Hole”. Seemed like an awe inspiring term out of a comic book back then. It was intriguing, fascinating and best of all, put me on a path to science. Though I was always a curious kid who loved to tinker with things, explore the unknown and question everything. The