Black Holes
BY PAYTON MAZZA — Staff Writer
What Are Black Holes?
Black holes, also known as the dark vacuums of space, are more powerful than they may seem. This picture seen above, taken in 2019 (which there is still speculation as to when it was taken), is the first ever photo ever recorded of a black hole. This picture was taken in a galaxy called Messier 87, more than 50 million light-years away from earth. Black holes are extremely dense and have gravity so strong that not even light can escape. As I mentioned, this particular black hole was at the center of a galaxy. However, that isn’t how they all form. In fact, you can technically make one right now. Now obviously it isn’t that simple, but scientists suspect it is possible.
Black holes are extremely dangerous, and if one ever got close to our solar system it probably could destroy all life on earth.
Now you’re probably wondering how we can see black holes. I mean space has very little light, other than some stars. So how, then, can we locate a floating dark black object? Well, according to NASA’s article on what a black hole is, they are able to locate blackholes when a black hole and a star are close together; the high-energy light emitted by the star allows us to see the black hole.
How Do Black Holes Form?
Black holes can form in a few different ways. There are four different types of black holes: Stellar, Supermassive, Intermediate, and Miniature. Stellar black holes form from the gravitational collapse of a very large star. In other words, the center of the star collapses on itself, which can and most likely cause a supernova (which is when a star explodes). Don’t worry; our sun won’t be turning into a black hole anytime soon. Our sun is too small for that to happen anyway. Supermassive black holes are the biggest out of the four and have a mass millions of times the mass of our sun. They form when a massive star runs out of fuel. This can emit a supernova, but it isn’t a guarantee. Intermediate black holes are smaller than stellar and supermassive black holes. However, the way they are formed is unique. Intermediate black holes are formed when multiple stellar black holes merge with one another. Intermediate black holes don’t have a very large mass compared to supermassive or stellar. However, they are just as dangerous as the other two.
Finally, we have miniature black holes. Miniature black holes are formed in a high density area. An article from Wikipedia noted that “a black hole would not form with a mass below about 10−8 kg.” What that means for us is that there’s no need to worry about any black holes on earth! Scientists suspect that miniature black holes probably formed sometime during the big bang. This could mean that they do exist, but again they probably wouldn’t still be miniature because of the time and the objects they devoured.
Anatomy Of A Black Hole
This picture above labels the anatomy of a black hole. First let’s start in the center, the singularity. According to an article by Space.com and written by Paul Sutter, the singularity is “a place where matter is compressed down to an infinitely tiny point.”
In other words, a place where there is no escape. There is no question the singularity is one of the most dangerous parts of a black hole. However a question that comes up a lot is what happens beyond this point. Well, in short, you die. We won’t know until we find a way to combat the spaghettification, (which is what happens when a human were to be pulled in one). Some speculate there are portals to other galaxies beyond this point, but as I said, we won’t know anytime soon.
Next, we have the event horizon; this is the point before the singularity. At this point all matter that gets close to the blackhole will be sucked in without problem. This is also the boundary of which no light can escape. Think of it as a wall almost as if you’re falling into a hole, in this case sucked in, blocking you from escaping.
In addition we have the Photon Sphere. Look closely at the photon sphere picture above and pay attention to the name and the example. Notice anything strange about it? You may or may not have noticed that those are photons. For those unfamiliar with photons, they are bundles of electromagnetic energy (light, for short). The question is how is there light outside of a blackhole? Gravity. The ring you see above is an area surrounding the black hole that is so strong that photons are forced to orbit it. There are two Photon spheres for every blackhole and add to the reason you can see light emit blackhole.
Next, we have the Relativistic Jets. Around this this part of the black hole you may see a beam. This beam is made up of Ionized matter escaping an Accretion disk that surrounds the blackhole. This beam can and will extend far into thousands of light years into space. Futhermore, we have the innermost stable orbit. The innermost stable orbit or ISCO, is the point that marks the inner edge of the Accretion disks.
And finally, we have the accretion disks. This is the point where orbiting comes into question. The accretion disk is were material gets caught into orbit of a very strong gravitational force. The disks in question are not only found around blackholes and can be found around typically a star. If you ever get curious, an example of such is our galaxy, the milky way.
What If One Entered Our Solar System?
Now, we should know that if a black hole entered our solar system it wouldn’t be good… or so we think. What would actually happen if a blackhole entered our solar system?
Well to begin, it may not cause as much trouble as it may seem. Many sources claim that if a black hole replaced our sun we would be okay and nothing would happen. This may be true, or may be not. What we do know is that if a black hole did mysteriously wander into our solar system, it would not be good. Planets would be ripped apart if a blackhole got close to them, and it’s the same with our sun. The video under resources shows exactly what would happen if one were to enter our solar system.
