AtoZ: B is for Black Hole
By Chrissie Giles
Are black holes really the centre of the universe or a whole load of nothing? We delve into the secret life of this sci-fi mainstay.Black holes? Tsk, that title is the biggest misnomer since Blackpool Pleasure Beach. Firstly, they’re not black, they just look dark because they suck in everything that comes close to them, even light. Secondly, they’re not holes either, but extremely small, extremely dense objects.
They come in a variety of sizes. A stellar black hole is the Elvis of the universe, and coming into being when a large star gets old, lets itself go a bit and collapses under their own weight.
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Another flavour of black hole, supermassive ones, live up to their name; they can have masses hundreds of thousands of times greater than that of the sun. As a galaxy you’re nothing without your own supermassive black hole, and it appears that there might be a link between these cosmological giants and the origin of galaxies.
Like the Tooth Fairy, Father Christmas and Jade Goody’s mouth, black holes can’t be observed directly. Instead scientists sift through suspicious looking things in space, such as the odd motion of stars and bizarre jets of matter in space, to infer where they are.
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These galactic gourmands are the equivalent of the cupboard under the stairs, or that bit down the back of the sofa. They suck in any thing that gets too close and hide it away in the most inaccessible parts of the universe. Recent reports that 100 billion pennies, 75 trillion odd socks and a furry Polo have been recovered from our friendly neighbourhood black hole, Cygnus X-1, remain, as yet, unconfirmed.
The business end of a black hole is the event horizon; this is the point beyond which nothing can get away. Trying to escape the pull of a black hole once you’ve passed this point is a bit like trying to traverse the threshold of Ikea on a Bank Holiday. Before you know it, you’re measuring up for oddly named flat-pack furniture you don’t need and are laden with more jumbo packs of tealight candles than you can carry.
Even time can’t function beyond the event horizon. Gravity warps space and time so much that time becomes infinite – again, a bit like Ikea.
Apparently, there’s a new black hole born every day, which makes them sound a bit more gullible than is probably fair. Still, that’s what you get for pretending to be something you’re not. Black holes: not black, not holes, but very cool nonetheless.
In a nutshell: Seriously on the pull
Not to be confused with: Teenagers’ bedrooms, London 2012 Olympics budget, actual holes (that are black)
More AtoZs to follow, but for the time being try these:
- Interesting - A is for Amino Acid
- Essential - G is for Genes
or just get more
- Cool - The End of the World: Nigh or Never?
- You're kidding? - Custard-based threat to astronauts
- Unsettling - Black holes don't exist?
Image: Alain R/W
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