How Black Holes Work - Research Paper Example

Black Hole ABSTRACT A black hole is the term given to a region in space where gravitational pull will be at a maximal state. The gravity pull is very strong in that place because matter is tightly squeezed into that minimal space. This can take place when a star destroys itself, and so these black holes are formed in places where a star undergoes destruction. The gravitational pull will be so strong that anything including light can not get out from it. So, when no light can escape from it, the specific place has to be black in appearance and so not directly visible to people. As that invisible black place pulls everything, it led to the formation of the name black hole. Powerful telescopes with specialized tools, stationed in both earth and space, can only detect these black holes. Despite exhibiting dangerous properties, black holes do not cause any major threat to earth and its people. Black holes are formed when star undergoes destruction, although not all stars destroy themselves. “While most stars end up as white dwarfs or neutron stars, black holes are the last evolutionary stage in the lifetimes of enormous stars that had been at least 10 or 15 times as massive as our own sun” [1]. The fact is that because of the massiveness of these stars and the resultant presence of vast gas in it, intense gravitational field normally builds up and tries to collapse the star. In a way, it can be said that increased fusion reactions that happens in the star’s core would be like a giant fusion bomb which can explode the star. Then when the star eventually dies, the above-mentioned nuclear fusion reactions stops as the fuel needed for these reactions burns up. However, at the same time, the intense gravitation of the star pulls the materials inwards and in the process compresses the core. Then, “as the core compresses, it heats up and eventually creates a supernova explosion in which the material and radiation blasts out into space” [2]. After the blast, the remaining thing is the extremely compressed and exceedingly massive core, whose gravity is so intense that no material including light can escape from it. Then, as there is no force to control this intense gravity, an about-to-be formed black hole shrinks further to attain zero volume, after which the black hole becomes infinitely dense. As mentioned above, even the light that is generated from the collapsing star is unable to get out of it because of its intense gravitational pull. As the star's own light is trapped within its orbit, it makes the specific location invisible and that is the reason why the location of the dead and dark star is known as a black hole. “An artist's drawing a black hole named Cygnus X-1. It formed when a large star caved in. This black hole pulls matter from blue star beside it” [3] Apart from pulling and trapping the destroyed materials and the generating light, the formed black hole can pull planets and other matters. However, those things have to pass near to a black hole for it to be pulled inside. When these things reach a point of no return inside these black holes, “they are said to have entered the event horizon—the point from which any escape is impossible because it requires moving faster than the speed of light.” [4]. In addition, it is being stated by the scientists that things or “events” (points as part of space-time) that have once passed the event horizon would normally stop. Apart from being dark, black holes are located so distantly that it cannot be observed directly. Despite being invisible, scientists have confirmed their presence by using telescopes, satellites, and other specialized tools that are located both on the earth as well as in the space. This is typically carried out by observing and measuring masses in a region of the sky and then looking for areas of large, dark mass. In addition, scientists can observe and analyze the ways strong gravity can impact stars and other gas materials that might exist near the black hole. That is, after finding out regions having large, dark mass, the scientists would focus on that mass and analyze the behavior of stars and other gases around that mass or the supposed black hole. That is, stars that are very near to the black holes would normally act differently when compared to other stars, and this can be found out by the telescopes in the space. In addition, “when a black hole and a star are close together, high-energy light is made, which can be detected by the satellites and telescopes in space” [5]. So, when the stars and other gases exhibit particular behavior because of the gravitational pull of the black hole, the scientists can confirm the presence of it. As being discussed above, although black holes can have dangerous properties because of its intense gravitation pull, it does not pose major danger to earth and its people. Large black holes exist in many galaxies including in our own galaxy of Milky Way. “An artist's drawing shows the current view of the Milky Way galaxy. Scientific evidence shows that in the middle of the Milky Way is a supermassive black hole” [6]. These black holes are extremely large as they continue to grow because there is so much matter in the center of the galaxy for them to add, so they accrue limitless amounts of matter and become even denser [7]. However, the fact is that these black holes are located in far off places in the Milky Way. So, despite their extreme sizes, they cannot pull in the planets, moons, and other stars. On the same lines, earth also “will not fall into a black hole because no black hole is close enough to the solar system for Earth to do that”[8]. Based on the above analysis, it is obvious that even after many years of study, the concept of black hole, theories surrounding it, and the studies being conducted about it have a certain amount of enigma attached to it. It appears that many more studies have to be done to get more ideas about its formation, its functioning, and its possibilities. Even fictional works like the about-to-be released Hollywood film titled Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan, is expected to provide interesting perspectives about black holes. References [1] “Black Holes: A Mighty Void.” National Geographic, n. d. Web. 1 Nov 2014. http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/universe/black-holes-article/ [2] Freudenrich, Craig. “How Black Holes Work.” How Stuff Works, 26 Nov. 2006. Web. 1 Nov. 2014. http://science.howstuffworks.com/dictionary/astronomy-terms/black-hole.htm [3] “What is a Black Hole?” NASA [4] “Black Holes: A Mighty Void.” National Geographic [5] “What is a Black Hole?” NASA, 30 Sept. 2008. Web. 1 Nov. 2014. http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/what-is-a-black-hole- k4.html#.VFU6hmeruKw [6] “What is a Black Hole?” NASA [7] “Black Holes: A Mighty Void.” National Geographic [8] “What is a Black Hole?” NASA Read More