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ABOUT FACTS NET
Space and Planets
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Black Holes
What exactly is a Black Hole? 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, this includes light, hence the name Black Hole. There is a region of space knows as M87 or Virgo A, it is an elliptical galaxy. In the center of this galaxy it is believed that a huge Black Hole exists. The mass of this Black Hole is estimated at 3 BILLION suns.
M-87 It is now believed that many galaxies have a Black Hole at their center including our own, the Milky Way. No one watching a Black Hole form would ever see it completed. The reason being that the closer light gets to the event horizon (a sphere surrounding the Black Hole beyond which nothing can escape) the slower it travels back until it gets so close to the Black Hole it cannot escape. It used to be thought, that Black Holes were stationary, but this may not be the case. A 43 year old picture from the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey, found by astronomers, indicates that a black hole has been wondering through our Milky Way Galaxy for over 7 billion years. Its estimated speed in 90 miles per second. This Black Hole is about 6 million light years from Earth and is heading on a path that will take it above our solar system. Every 230 million years this object completes a trip through our galaxy. Another amazing fact about this Black Hole is that it has brought a star with it. Originally the star was much larger but it is now only one third the size of our sun, since the hole has nibbled on it for 3 billion years. It is now suspected that there are many more of these mobile Black Holes traveling through space.
NGC 4438 contains a Black Hole. Here it is with a hiccup of material
leaving Scientists have just entered a new phase of Black Hole
discoveries. Not only have they discovered that some Black Holes travel
but they have also discovered that some Black Holes act as dynamos
and product energy. A super computer simulation produced jets of energy
at the north and south poles that were the power of the sun multiplied
ten billion times and then increased another one billion times. The following NASA movies are mpegs. If you don't have a window's player, you can download one here for free. The following movies simulate different phases of a trip through a black hole.
Will we ever be able to travel through a black hole? It doesn't seem likely at this point in time. The pressures exerted are so extreme they crush planets and stars, but who knows what the future holds, but man has been known to conquer those things that seemed impossible before. There is still much more to learn about Black Holes. We are just beginning to scratch the surface of their potential. Who knows, we might be able to harness their potential energy some day or use them as shortcuts through the galaxy or into a yet unknown dimension. Their potential is enormous as is their danger. |
