Black Holes
A black hole cannot be seen because strong gravity pulls all of the light into the middle of the black hole. However, scientists can see how strongly gravity affects the stars and gas around the black hole. Scientists can study stars to find out if they are flying around or orbiting a black hole. When a black hole and a star are in close proximity, they produce high-energy light. Human eyes cannot see this kind of light. Scientists use satellites and telescopes in space to see the high-energy light.
Black holes do not go around in space, eating stars, moons, and planets. Earth will not fall into a black hole because no black hole is close enough to the solar system for Earth to do that.
Even if a black hole with the same mass as the sun were to take its place, Earth would still not fall in. The black hole would have the same gravity as the sun. Earth and the other planets would orbit the black hole, just as they orbit the sun now. The sun will never turn into a black hole. The sun is not a big enough star to make a black hole.
Finally, we want to say that scientists can’t directly observe black holes with telescopes that detect X-rays, light, or other forms of electromagnetic radiation. However, we can infer the existence of black holes and study them by detecting their effects on surrounding matter.
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Have you no idea how big a black hole is? Don’t let the name fool you; a black hole is anything but empty space. Imagine a star ten times more massive than the Sun squeezed into a sphere approximately the diameter of New York City.
A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light cannot get out. Matter squeezed into a tiny space creates strong gravity. This can occur when a star is dying.
Humans cannot see black holes because no light can escape. They are invisible. Space telescopes with special instruments help find black holes. Special tools can see how stars very close to black holes behave differently than other stars.
Black holes can be big or small. Scientists think the smallest black holes are as small as just one atom. These black holes are very tiny but have the mass of a large mountain. Mass is the amount of matter, or “stuff,” in an object. The largest black holes are called “supermassive.” These black holes have masses that are more than 1 million suns together. Scientists have found proof that every large galaxy contains a supermassive black hole at its center. Scientists think that the smallest black holes formed when the universe began and that supermassive black holes formed at the same time as the galaxy in which they reside.
Written by Dasun Kularathne of SLTC Research University
