Black Holes: Forces of Gravity
explanatory Essay
1522 words
Science has always been about analyzing the hard facts in front of you, even if they might be invisible to the naked eye. Sizable leaps in our understanding about the mechanisms of life and our universe are in the process of being made with scientists believing black holes are the major precipice to these greater understandings. Black holes push and break many modern understandings of physics and time with many mysterious qualities. Insuppressible forces of nature, black holes, are a little understood entity in our universe with a strong influence on modern science.
Despite modern culture and its influences on the unknown, a black hole is not a well understood concept even by the greatest of minds. Robert Prigo describes a black hole as “… a region of space whose gravitational pull is so strong that nothing – not even light – can escape it” (“Singularity”). To overcome this, scientists are able to observe abnormalities surrounding a black hole, granting them the power to ascertain their existence and study them simply on their effects in and of space. Specifically, a lot of black holes tend to create funhouse mirror effects on objects behind them, thus distorting things to mere smears and smudges. To further add to this, black holes are mentioned to be able to warp space-time itself, as in slowing and distorting the fundamentals of physics and time. Consequently, they’re the prime subject of many astronomers and physicists as they challenge the works of our current theories and theorems. Black holes are known to take residence in the centers of galaxies, in the wake of massive stars that have died, and spotted around the universe from the dawn of creation. Notably, a black hole will disintegrate and collect anything that delves de...
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... - NASA Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. .
Dunbar, Brian. "Researchers Detail How A Distant Black Hole Devoured A Star." NASA. NASA, 25 Aug. 2011. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. .
Kaku, Michio. "The Physics of Extraterrestrial Civilizations." Explorations in Science Official Website of Dr Michio Kaku. N.p., n.d. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. .
Pogge, Richard. "GPS and Relativity." Ohio State Astronomy. N.p., 27 Apr. 2009. Web. 17 Feb. 2014. .
Prigo, Robert B. "Singularity." World Book Advanced. World Book, 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2014.
Ted, Bunn. "Black Holes FAQ." Black Holes. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. .
In this essay, the author
- Explains that science has always been about analyzing the hard facts in front of you, even if they might be invisible to the naked eye. scientists believe black holes are the major precipice to these greater understandings.
- Explains that black holes are a region of space whose gravitational pull is so strong that nothing can escape it. they are the prime subject of many astronomers and physicists as they challenge the works of our current theories.
- Explains the power of a black hole, stating that it is impossible to see them because they have an immense pull on the space around them.
- Explains that black holes are not giant vacuums in space sucking up and destroying everything unfortunate enough to come near them. there is no known force to get you out of a black hole’s event horizon.
- Explains that time travel is a human construct, but the universe has its own take on time. paradoxes are formed from such ideas.
- Explains that while black holes may be powerful, it's incorrect to call them infinite voids. general theories of physics dictate that nothing, not even a black hole, can simply continue functioning with such great energy forever.
- Opines that black holes are an amazing source of power if harnessed by the exceptionally advanced humans of the future.
- Opines that black holes are controversial because they baffle any mathematics or principals thrown at them, making our current observations merely elaborate theories.
- Opines that black holes are set to remain the modern focus of astronomical research by baffling the science community, being a peak interest in science fiction, and answering some of the universe’s tougher questions.
- Explains that black holes - nasa science. n.p., n.d. web. 17 feb. 2014.
- Cites dunbar, brian, "researchers detail how a distant black hole devoured a star." nasa.
- Narrates michio kaku's "the physics of extraterrestrial civilizations." explorations in science.
- Explains pogge, richard. "gps and relativity." ohio state astronomy.
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- Analysis of Black Holesexplanatory essayBlack Holes: Warping Spacetime A black hole is one of the most fantastic things ever predicted by modern science. It is a place where gravity is so strong that nothing --not even light-- can escape. It is a place where gravity is so strong that a hole has been rent in the very fabric of space and time.
In this essay, the author
- Explains cowen, r., "x-rays from dim space hint at a black hole." science news 12 sept. 1992: 167.
- Explains kaufmann, william j., iii. black holes and warped spacetime.
- States that a black hole is one of the most fantastic things ever predicted by modern science.
- Explains that in an advanced technological society, it is crucial that the citizenry be aware of advances at the frontiers of science.
1698 wordsRead More - Black Holes Essayexplanatory essayEver since Einstein described the theory of relativity and predicted black holes, in 1915, they've caught the imagination of the human mind. Most people didn't believe such a wild and mysterious concept, and the people that did, thought of black holes as monsters sucking in everything around them. "...the notion of a collapsed star wasn't taken seriously until astronomers started spotting giant stars orbiting indiscernible points in the 1960's."(Vergano, Dan) Then, human technology had advanced enough to prove and begin understanding black holes. Through research, studies, and many amazing pieces of equipment astronomers have discovered that black holes are much more significant than once believed. Black holes are the suspenders of the Universe.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that einstein's theory of relativity and black holes caught the imagination of the human mind. the idea of a collapsed star wasn't taken seriously until astronomers started spotting giant stars orbiting indiscernible points in the 1960s
- Explains how black holes suspend everything, including life on earth. advances in technology have taken great strides in space research.
- Explains that black holes don't emit visible light, but the gasses and stars orbiting them emit strong light x-rays, which create a disk around the black hole.
- Explains how astronomers measure the speed of stars by the light they emit. binaries are another method of spotting a black hole through light.
- Explains that x-ray emissions create friction that heats the gas, which is detectable from earth.
- Explains that astronomers have been confirming positions of black holes through noise. a black hole's noise is a b flat.
- Explains that the hubble and chandra x-ray telescopes are used for light wave detection and sound, rays, and radio waves, making the observer the most important tool in space research.
- Explains that astronomers have been able to figure out some important information about these cosmic creatures. black holes are the last evolutionary stage of stars.
- Explains that there are three different kinds of black holes: quantum, stellar, and supermassive.
- Compares supermassive black holes and the galaxy to the sun and solar system. sagittarius a alone is suspending over 200 billion stars.
1038 wordsRead More - What a Black Hole Really isanalytical essayJust a hundred years ago in 1915, was the time Einstein created his theories of general relativity, thus the makings of what is known today. These theories helped predict that black holes, actually occupy the universe vastly (Black Holes). Because black holes are virtually invisible to the human eye, since not even light can escape their clutches, it is hard to understand something that can’t be seen or even assume it exists. The concept of black holes can be traced back to 1795, to Pierre Simon Laplace, who originally proposed the idea. Though, it was Karl Schwarzschild to be the first to start proving black holes exist from the research of Einstein and others (Freudenrich). It is easy to say that black holes have become a major focus of astronomers and astrophysicists globally.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how rennie, gabriele, applied einstein's theories of relativity in science & technology review.
- Explains that einstein's theories of general relativity helped predict that black holes occupy the universe vastly.
- States that stephen hawking's new theory offers black hole escape.
- Explains cain, f., and dunn, marcia. "scientists find monster black holes, biggest yet."
- Explains how howell, e., "black hole steals gas from trillions of stars." universe today.
1758 wordsRead More - The Theory of Cosmological Natural Selectionexplanatory essayFor thousands of years, philosophers and astronomers have been trying to determine the origin of our universe. The twentieth century proved to be a time of intense research in the fields of astronomy and physics. While science still searches for the solution uniting general relativity and quantum mechanics, some astrophysicists have conjectured about the implications of quantum gravity for the universe’s existence. The most exotic objects in our universe, black holes, may hold the key to the creation of our universe. Physicist Lee Smolin has been one of the most prominent theorists in this area of astrophysics. Smolin’s theory of cosmological natural selection attempts to explain the origin of our universe and its fundamental characteristics by using black hole singularities. While the theory has not been proven, its assumptions are based on the theory of evolution and provide a fascinating perspective into the nature of our universe.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that philosophers and astronomers have been trying to determine the origin of our universe for thousands of years. some astrophysicists conjectured about the implications of quantum gravity for the universe's existence.
- Explains that lee smolin's theory of cosmological natural selection is based off of two different theories.
- Argues that smolin's theory of cosmological natural selection is not falsifiable, meaning that it cannot be proved wrong.
- Explains that albert einstein's theory of general relativity is a basis for many of the information that we have collected from space.
- Explains that the big bang theory is a postulate of how everything started, but there is no way to prove that it is accurate.
- Explains the multi-universe theory, which is based on modern physics and quantum mechanics.
- Opines that people are putting forth massive amounts of effort to try to answer every unanswerable question about our universe.
- Explains rothman, t., and ellis, g.f.r. "smolin's natural selection hypothesis."
- Explains that the theory of cosmological natural selection implies that black holes are essentially the gateways to newly created universes.
- Explains smolin, lee, alpher, ralph a., and herman, robert. the life of the cosmos.
2659 wordsRead More - Black Holes Essayexplanatory essayThe first black hole was discovered in 1971 and John Wheeler, an American astronomer, coined the term black hole in 1967 (“Black Holes: Facts”). Black holes are formed out of pieces of a star that have exploded in a supernova explosion (“Black Holes – NASA”). They are also formed when two stars have a stellar collision to form bigger black holes (“Black Holes – NASA”). A star, about three times the size of the sun, cannot collapse due to the effects of gravity (“Black Holes – NASA”). When the star is collapsing it nears the event horizon where time slows down (“Black Holes – NASA”). When the star finally reaches the event horizon time stops and the star cannot collapse anymore (“Black Holes – NASA”). Occasionally black holes can be formed when an existing black hole and a neutron star collide producing another black hole (“Black Holes – NASA”). The collision between the two also makes gamma ray bursts which helped astronomers figure out how the gamma rays were made (“Black Holes – NASA”).
In this essay, the author
- Explains that black holes are one of the many amazing unexplained wonders around the world. they are abundant in many galaxies, including the milky way.
- Explains that the first black hole was discovered in 1971 and john wheeler coined the term black holes in 1967.
- Explains that supermassive black holes are millions to billions of times bigger than the sun. they are believed to start out like a normal black hole and increase their size by sucking up dust and gas around them.
- Explains that there are millions of black holes in the milky way galaxy alone. the closest black hole to earth is 1600 light years away and one light year is equal to 9.4605284 1015 meters.
- Explains the two main reasons why humans cannot see black holes: they blend in with the darkness and are too far away to be seen even with incredibly powerful telescopes.
- Explains that black holes sucking power is so strong that light cannot escape from the black hole when it reaches the event horizon.
- Describes the spaghettification process where matter is stretched out into a noodle and violently ripped apart by the black holes force.
- Explains that there are two main types of black holes in general relativity: the schwarzchild and the kerr.
- Explains that general relativity describes spacetime as changing shape and behaves differently in the presence of other factors. these events also affect matter and energy.
1122 wordsRead More - Black Holes Essayexplanatory essayWhat is a black hole? A black hole is a great amount of matter packed into a very small area. Think of it this way: imagine our sun compacted into Austin, Texas. Phenomenal cosmic power in an itty-bitty living space.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that they have done a lot of research about space, but one of the main mysteries that we haven't understood much is "the hole".
- Explains that john a wheeler invented the theory of nuclear fission, was a student of niels bohr, and was part of the manhattan project with many other scientists.
- Explains what a black hole is and how it can be compared to our sun compacted into austin, texas.
- Explains how einstein's theory of general relativity predicted black holes, stating that the laws of physics are the same for all non-accelerating observers, and the speed of light is independent of the motion of all observers.
- Explains that a black hole is created from the mass of the sun collapsing on itself to create the supernova. the larger ones are created by stellar collisions, which happen when two suns "run in to" each other.
- Explains that nasa's swift telescope observed powerful, fleeting flashes of light known as gamma ray bursts in december 2004.
- Explains the parts of a black hole, such as the event horizon, ergosphere and accretion disc, and the singularity.
- Explains that the event horizon has two parts, an inner part and an outer part, and there is a barrier between it and space outside of it that prevents photons from leaving.
- Explains that the accretion disk is made up of all sorts of things like gas, plasma, dust, or particles in the surrounding area that is brought in by the gravity.
- Explains newton's laws and how the ergosphere forces things to move in space. each black hole is different from the last.
- Explains that the photon sphere is the area in which photos are started to move into orbit around the black hole. any minor change will either escape it or get sucked into it.
- Explains that black holes have three types: schwarzschild, reissner-nordstrm, and kerr.
- Explains that roy kerr in 1960s hypothesized that a rotating star could collide into black holes with rotating ring of neutrons at its center rather than the usual singularity.
- Explains that reissner-nordstrm is the final type of black hole that will be mentioned in this paper. it has a singularity and two event horizons.
- Compares the differences between reissner–nordström and schwarzschild.
1023 wordsRead More - Black Holes Essayexplanatory essayBlack holes are points in space where there are extreme gravitational pulls that prevent anything, including light, from escaping. The reason for such a strong gravitational pull is due to vast amounts of matter being contained in a small amount of space. Stellar black holes form from stars with a mass greater than 20 solar masses and can be a result of gravitational collapse. Gravitational collapse is a result of the star’s internal pressure not being able to resist the stars own gravity. When the star is exhausted of its nuclear fuel such that it cannot maintain a high enough temperature it will begin to collapse under its own weight (Seidel 2011). As the star collapses it causes a supernova which blasts the outer layers of the star into space while the core completely collapses under its own weight. If the remnant core left behind exceeds 3 solar masses there are no known forces that can prevent the core from completely collapsing into a black hole (p. 568 Bennett et al. 2013)
In this essay, the author
- Explains that black holes are points in space where there are extreme gravitational pulls that prevent anything, including light, from escaping.
- Explains that while black holes do not emit light and completely absorb light near them it would seem as if they would be impossible to detect.
- Explains that neutron stars have a mass greater than that of our sun and their diameter is only around 20km which makes them very dense.
- Explains that neutron stars can be detected with a radio or x-ray telescope, but pulsars are also detected. they spin rapidly due to the conservation of angular momentum.
- Explains that white dwarfs are dim, dense planetary sized stars formed from a low mass star that has been depleted of its nuclear fuel and lost its outer layers.
777 wordsRead More - The Black Holes : A Black Holeexplanatory essayThe whole idea of time and black holes has been questioning scientist and many common people for decades. Whether or not the theories provided make it physically possible to allow us to ever use any type of a black hole to an advantage? Technology over these past years has allowed us to learn more and more about what black holes are and what they can do. While also allowing ourselves to discover new possibilities that they might bring forth to greater innovations in our near future. But we can only imagine, through our knowledge and technology, what a black hole could do for us, due to all the dangers they bring forth.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the idea of time and black holes has been questioning scientists and many common people for decades.
- Explains that black holes are what's left after a star has collapsed and died of old age. the event horizon is most commonly simplified as, "the point of no return."
- Opines that if a black hole were ever possible, it could be something that would change our everyday lives. technology is becoming more groundbreaking by the minute.
- Explains that albert einstein and stephen hawking provided useful information about black holes, making black hole theories seem possible.
- Explains that a black hole slowly pulls an object, so the passing time would be hours, but the object passing through it would seem as if time was of minutes.
- Explains that the theory of general relativity provides a way to travel backwards in time. the possibilities are numbered but theories exist, in terms of 4-dimensions and semiclassical gravity.
- Explains that many people that contemplate black holes have brought up the arguable subject on a theory to obtain any possibility to pass through them.
- Explains that our current technology makes it impossible to survive the forces being exerted from a black hole.
- Opines that a black hole's gravitational force will be too powerful for anyone or anything, and it would be impossible to escape.
- Explains that time itself will make it physically impossible to travel backwards, since time is merely a thought.
- Explains that black holes have been contemplating people's minds for a long time. they provide proper knowledge and most of these theories comply with the laws of physics.
- Opines that the invisible firewall of the event horizon was a hypothetical theory that has yet to be proven.
- Opines that if a human isn't in the right mindset to handle what takes place within the black hole, we could always invent different concepts. technology is big factor in making these theories.
- Explains that black holes are collapsed stars that create forces that make getting near them dangerous. spaghettification and other forces could make it harder for us to find the materials in order to test these theories out.
- Explains that black holes are one of the biggest mysteries of space, people have learned a lot about them over the years.
- Opines that we can learn from the theories provided by many scientists and use them to our advantage in the near future. technology makes it easier to make these theories a greater possibility.
- Explains that science has taught us different ways at which new discoveries could be used to greatly impact our lives. these advances are what will allow more theories to be born and could possibly come to reality.
- Explains that black holes are thought to be a portal to another dimension, or an illogical way for time to slip. finding ways in which these ideas could work has been challenging.
1699 wordsRead More - The Lady of Luminosity: Henrietta Swan Leavittanalytical essayDyson, Marianne J. Space and Astronomy: Decade by Decade. New York: Facts on File, 2007. 14+. Print.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how henrietta leavitt discovered the relationship between period and luminosity of cepheid variable stars by examining photographic plates of the small magellanic cloud.
- Explains that henrietta leavitt's discovery was published in harvard’s annals and circulars in 1908, but she received little recognition in her lifetime.
- Explains waller, william h., the milky way: an insider's guide. princeton, n.j.
- Explains that henrietta swan leavitt challenged the notions of female inferiority and ineptitude by entering the predominately male field of astrology and excelling.
- Analyzes how henrietta leavitt challenged the notion of female inferiority and ineptitude by pursuing her aspirations of astrology.
- Cites dyson, marianne j., impey, chris, krauss, lawrence maxwell, and richard dawkins.
1178 wordsRead More - The Existence of Black Holesopinion essayThe Existence of Black Holes I have always had an interest in science, especially in the sciences regarding outer space. When I was younger I was always fascinated with rockets, and especially in stars. I have often regretted not pursuing this interest at its infancy. I do remember going to the Planetarium, and studying about a topic that I had seen talked about on television. The topic was black holes, and back then all that they knew was that they were black.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that they have always had an interest in science, especially in the sciences regarding outer space.
- Opines that stephen is the front runner in his field. many of his peers consider him to be the greatest mind since einstein.
- Explains that einstein's general relativity and quantum principle predicted radiation from black holes. gravitational collapse was not as much of a dead end as it had appeared.
- Analyzes hawking's answer to the question of how to do the sum over histories for particles and the fabric of space and time. stephen compares imaginary time with the popular idea that the earth was round.
- Opines that stephen will find the answers that he is seeking when hawking introduced this concept into the scientific world.
- Explains stephen hawking's ultimate goal is to combine all of the information that he and his colleagues have gathered, into one gigantic theory that will allow us to predict the future with some degree of accuracy.
- Explains how stephen disproved the possibility of a black hole and proved that they did exist.
- Explains the big bang theory, which states that the universe and everything in it at one time consisted of a very small mass. stephen's work in this field regarding blackholes, and imaginary time is truly remarkable.
- Cites hawking, stephen, black holes and baby universes and other essays, and penrose, roger, on relativity.
1305 wordsRead More