« Science fiction can be useful - it stimulates the imagination and relieves fear of the future. However, the scientific facts can be much more striking. Science fiction didn't even envision things like black holes.»
Stephen Hawking

In the depths of the universe for man lies countless mysteries and mysteries. One of them is black holes - objects that even the greatest minds of mankind cannot understand. Hundreds of astrophysicists are trying to discover the nature of black holes, but at this stage we have not even proved their existence in practice.

Film directors dedicate their films to them, and among ordinary people, black holes have become such a cult phenomenon that they are identified with the end of the world and imminent death. They are feared and hated, but at the same time they are idolized and bow before the unknown, which these strange fragments of the Universe are fraught with. Agree, to be swallowed up by a black hole is that kind of romance. With their help, it is possible, and they can also become guides for us in.

The yellow press often speculates on the popularity of black holes. Finding headlines in newspapers related to the end of the world on the planet due to another collision with a supermassive black hole is not a problem. Much worse is that the illiterate part of the population takes everything seriously and raises a real panic. To bring some clarity, we will go on a journey to the origins of the discovery of black holes and try to understand what it is and how to relate to it.

invisible stars

It so happened that modern physicists describe the structure of our Universe with the help of the theory of relativity, which Einstein carefully provided to mankind at the beginning of the 20th century. All the more mysterious are black holes, on the event horizon of which all the laws of physics known to us, including Einstein's theory, cease to operate. Isn't that wonderful? In addition, the conjecture about the existence of black holes was expressed long before the birth of Einstein himself.

In 1783 there was a significant increase in scientific activity in England. In those days, science went side by side with religion, they got along well together, and scientists were no longer considered heretics. Moreover, priests were engaged in scientific research. One of these servants of God was the English pastor John Michell, who asked himself not only questions of life, but also quite scientific tasks. Michell was a very titled scientist: initially he was a teacher of mathematics and ancient linguistics in one of the colleges, and after that he was admitted to the Royal Society of London for a number of discoveries.

John Michell dealt with seismology, but in his spare time he liked to think about the eternal and the cosmos. This is how he came up with the idea that somewhere in the depths of the Universe there may exist supermassive bodies with such powerful gravity that in order to overcome the gravitational force of such a body, it is necessary to move at a speed equal to or higher than the speed of light. If we accept such a theory as true, then even light will not be able to develop the second cosmic velocity (the speed necessary to overcome the gravitational attraction of the leaving body), so such a body will remain invisible to the naked eye.

Michell called his new theory "dark stars", and at the same time tried to calculate the mass of such objects. He expressed his thoughts on this matter in an open letter to the Royal Society of London. Unfortunately, in those days, such research was not of particular value to science, so Michell's letter was sent to the archive. Only two hundred years later, in the second half of the 20th century, it was found among thousands of other records carefully stored in the ancient library.

The first scientific evidence for the existence of black holes

After the release of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, mathematicians and physicists seriously set about solving the equations presented by the German scientist, which were supposed to tell us a lot about the structure of the Universe. The German astronomer, physicist Karl Schwarzschild decided to do the same in 1916.

The scientist, using his calculations, came to the conclusion that the existence of black holes is possible. He was also the first to describe what was later called the romantic phrase "event horizon" - an imaginary boundary of space-time at a black hole, after crossing which there comes a point of no return. Nothing escapes from the event horizon, not even light. It is beyond the event horizon that the so-called “singularity” occurs, where the laws of physics known to us cease to operate.

Continuing to develop his theory and solving equations, Schwarzschild discovered new secrets of black holes for himself and the world. So, he was able to calculate, solely on paper, the distance from the center of a black hole, where its mass is concentrated, to the event horizon. Schwarzschild called this distance the gravitational radius.

Despite the fact that mathematically Schwarzschild's solutions were exceptionally correct and could not be refuted, the scientific community of the early 20th century could not immediately accept such a shocking discovery, and the existence of black holes was written off as a fantasy, which now and then manifested itself in the theory of relativity. For the next fifteen years, the study of space for the presence of black holes was slow, and only a few adherents of the theory of the German physicist were engaged in it.

Stars that give birth to darkness

After Einstein's equations were taken apart, it was time to use the conclusions drawn to understand the structure of the Universe. In particular, in the theory of the evolution of stars. It's no secret that nothing in our world lasts forever. Even the stars have their own cycle of life, albeit longer than a person.

One of the first scientists who became seriously interested in stellar evolution was the young astrophysicist Subramanyan Chandrasekhar, a native of India. In 1930, he published a scientific work that described the alleged internal structure of stars, as well as their life cycles.

Already at the beginning of the 20th century, scientists guessed about such a phenomenon as gravitational contraction (gravitational collapse). At a certain point in its life, a star begins to contract at a tremendous rate under the influence of gravitational forces. As a rule, this happens at the moment of the death of a star, however, with a gravitational collapse, there are several ways for the further existence of a red-hot ball.

Chandrasekhar's supervisor, Ralph Fowler, a respected theoretical physicist in his time, suggested that during a gravitational collapse, any star turns into a smaller and hotter one - a white dwarf. But it turned out that the student "broke" the teacher's theory, which was shared by most physicists at the beginning of the last century. According to the work of a young Hindu, the death of a star depends on its initial mass. For example, only those stars whose mass does not exceed 1.44 times the mass of the Sun can become white dwarfs. This number has been called the Chandrasekhar limit. If the mass of the star exceeded this limit, then it dies in a completely different way. Under certain conditions, such a star at the time of death can be reborn into a new, neutron star - another mystery of the modern Universe. The theory of relativity, on the other hand, tells us one more option - the compression of a star to ultra-small values, and here the most interesting begins.

In 1932, an article appeared in one of the scientific journals in which the brilliant physicist from the USSR Lev Landau suggested that during the collapse, a supermassive star is compressed into a point with an infinitesimal radius and infinite mass. Despite the fact that such an event is very difficult to imagine from the point of view of an unprepared person, Landau was not far from the truth. The physicist also suggested that, according to the theory of relativity, gravity at such a point would be so great that it would begin to distort space-time.

Astrophysicists liked Landau's theory, and they continued to develop it. In 1939, in America, thanks to the efforts of two physicists - Robert Oppenheimer and Hartland Sneijder - a theory appeared that describes in detail a supermassive star at the time of collapse. As a result of such an event, a real black hole should have appeared. Despite the persuasiveness of the arguments, scientists continued to deny the possibility of the existence of such bodies, as well as the transformation of stars into them. Even Einstein distanced himself from this idea, believing that the star is not capable of such phenomenal transformations. Other physicists were not stingy in their statements, calling the possibility of such events ridiculous.
However, science always reaches the truth, you just have to wait a little. And so it happened.

The brightest objects in the universe

Our world is a collection of paradoxes. Sometimes things coexist in it, the coexistence of which defies any logic. For example, the term "black hole" would not be associated in a normal person with the expression "incredibly bright", but the discovery of the early 60s of the last century allowed scientists to consider this statement incorrect.

With the help of telescopes, astrophysicists managed to detect hitherto unknown objects in the starry sky, which behaved quite strangely despite the fact that they looked like ordinary stars. Studying these strange luminaries, the American scientist Martin Schmidt drew attention to their spectrography, the data of which showed results different from scanning other stars. Simply put, these stars were not like the others we are used to.

Suddenly it dawned on Schmidt, and he drew attention to the shift of the spectrum in the red range. It turned out that these objects are much further from us than the stars that we are used to seeing in the sky. For example, the object observed by Schmidt was located two and a half billion light-years from our planet, but shone as brightly as a star some hundred light-years away. It turns out that the light from one such object is comparable to the brightness of an entire galaxy. This discovery was a real breakthrough in astrophysics. The scientist called these objects "quasi-stellar" or simply "quasar".

Martin Schmidt continued to study new objects and found out that such a bright glow can be caused by only one reason - accretion. Accretion is the process of absorption of surrounding matter by a supermassive body with the help of gravity. The scientist came to the conclusion that in the center of quasars there is a huge black hole, which with incredible force draws into itself the matter surrounding it in space. In the process of absorption of matter by the hole, the particles are accelerated to enormous speeds and begin to glow. The peculiar luminous dome around a black hole is called an accretion disk. Its visualization was well demonstrated in Christopher Nolan's film "Interstellar", which gave rise to many questions "how can a black hole glow?".

To date, scientists have found thousands of quasars in the starry sky. These strange, incredibly bright objects are called the beacons of the universe. They allow us to imagine the structure of the cosmos a little better and get closer to the moment from which it all began.

Despite the fact that astrophysicists have been obtaining indirect evidence for the existence of supermassive invisible objects in the Universe for many years, the term "black hole" did not exist until 1967. To avoid complicated names, the American physicist John Archibald Wheeler proposed calling such objects "black holes". Why not? To some extent they are black, because we cannot see them. In addition, they attract everything, you can fall into them, just like in a real hole. And to get out of such a place according to modern laws of physics is simply impossible. However, Stephen Hawking claims that when traveling through a black hole, you can get into another Universe, another world, and this is hope.

Fear of infinity

Due to the excessive mystery and romanticization of black holes, these objects have become a real horror story among people. The yellow press loves to speculate on the illiteracy of the population, giving out amazing stories about how a huge black hole is moving towards our Earth, which will swallow the solar system in a matter of hours, or simply emit waves of toxic gas towards our planet.

Especially popular is the theme of the destruction of the planet with the help of the Large Hadron Collider, which was built in Europe in 2006 on the territory of the European Council for Nuclear Research (CERN). The wave of panic began as someone's stupid joke, but grew like a snowball. Someone started a rumor that a black hole could form in the particle accelerator of the collider, which would swallow our planet entirely. Of course, the indignant people began to demand a ban on experiments at the LHC, afraid of such an outcome. Lawsuits began to come to the European Court demanding to close the collider, and the scientists who created it to be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

In fact, physicists do not deny that when particles collide in the Large Hadron Collider, objects similar in properties to black holes can appear, but their size is at the level of elementary particle sizes, and such “holes” exist for such a short time that we cannot even record their occurrence.

One of the main experts who are trying to dispel the wave of ignorance in front of people is Stephen Hawking - the famous theoretical physicist, who, moreover, is considered a real "guru" regarding black holes. Hawking proved that black holes do not always absorb the light that appears in accretion disks, and some of it is scattered into space. This phenomenon has been called Hawking radiation, or black hole evaporation. Hawking also established a relationship between the size of a black hole and the rate of its "evaporation" - the smaller it is, the less it exists in time. And this means that all opponents of the Large Hadron Collider should not worry: black holes in it will not be able to exist even for a millionth of a second.

Theory not proven in practice

Unfortunately, the technologies of mankind at this stage of development do not allow us to test most of the theories developed by astrophysicists and other scientists. On the one hand, the existence of black holes is quite convincingly proven on paper and deduced using formulas in which everything converged with every variable. On the other hand, in practice, we have not yet managed to see a real black hole with our own eyes.

Despite all the disagreements, physicists suggest that in the center of each of the galaxies there is a supermassive black hole, which collects stars into clusters with its gravity and makes you travel around the Universe in a large and friendly company. In our Milky Way galaxy, according to various estimates, there are from 200 to 400 billion stars. All these stars revolve around something that has a huge mass, around something that we cannot see with a telescope. It is most likely a black hole. Should she be afraid? - No, at least not in the next few billion years, but we can make another interesting film about her.



BLACK HOLE
a region in space resulting from the complete gravitational collapse of matter, in which the gravitational attraction is so strong that neither matter, nor light, nor other information carriers can leave it. Therefore, the interior of a black hole is causally unrelated to the rest of the universe; physical processes occurring inside a black hole cannot affect processes outside it. A black hole is surrounded by a surface with the property of a unidirectional membrane: matter and radiation freely fall through it into the black hole, but nothing can escape from it. This surface is called the "event horizon". Since so far there are only indirect indications of the existence of black holes at distances of thousands of light years from the Earth, our further presentation is based mainly on theoretical results. Black holes, predicted by the general theory of relativity (the theory of gravity proposed by Einstein in 1915) and other more modern theories of gravity, were mathematically substantiated by R. Oppenheimer and H. Snyder in 1939. But the properties of space and time in the vicinity of these objects turned out to be so unusual, that astronomers and physicists did not take them seriously for 25 years. However, astronomical discoveries in the mid-1960s forced us to look at black holes as a possible physical reality. Their discovery and study can fundamentally change our understanding of space and time.
Formation of black holes. While thermonuclear reactions take place in the interior of the star, they maintain high temperature and pressure, preventing the star from collapsing under the influence of its own gravity. However, over time, the nuclear fuel is depleted, and the star begins to shrink. Calculations show that if the star's mass does not exceed three solar masses, then it will win the "battle with gravity": its gravitational collapse will be stopped by the pressure of "degenerate" matter, and the star will forever turn into a white dwarf or neutron star. But if the mass of a star is more than three solar, then nothing can stop its catastrophic collapse and it will quickly go under the event horizon, becoming a black hole. For a spherical black hole of mass M, the event horizon forms a sphere with an equator circumference 2p times greater than the black hole's "gravitational radius" RG = 2GM/c2, where c is the speed of light and G is the gravitational constant. A black hole with a mass of 3 solar masses has a gravitational radius of 8.8 km.

If an astronomer observes a star at the moment of its transformation into a black hole, then at first he will see how the star contracts faster and faster, but as its surface approaches the gravitational radius, the compression will slow down until it stops completely. At the same time, the light coming from the star will weaken and turn red until it goes out completely. This is because in the fight against the giant force of gravity, the light loses energy and it takes more and more time for it to reach the observer. When the star's surface reaches the gravitational radius, it will take infinite time for the light that leaves it to reach the observer (and in doing so, the photons will completely lose their energy). Consequently, the astronomer will never wait for this moment, much less see what happens to the star below the event horizon. But theoretically, this process can be studied. The calculation of an idealized spherical collapse shows that in a short time the star contracts to a point where infinitely high values ​​of density and gravity are reached. Such a point is called a "singularity". Moreover, general mathematical analysis shows that if an event horizon has arisen, then even a non-spherical collapse leads to a singularity. However, all this is true only if the general theory of relativity is applicable down to very small spatial scales, which we are not sure yet. Quantum laws operate in the microworld, and the quantum theory of gravity has not yet been created. It is clear that quantum effects cannot stop a star from collapsing into a black hole, but they could prevent the appearance of a singularity. The modern theory of stellar evolution and our knowledge of the stellar population of the Galaxy indicate that among its 100 billion stars there should be about 100 million black holes formed during the collapse of the most massive stars. In addition, black holes of very large mass can be found in the cores of large galaxies, including ours. As already noted, in our era, only a mass more than three times that of the sun can become a black hole. However, immediately after the Big Bang, from which ca. 15 billion years ago, the expansion of the Universe began, black holes of any mass could be born. The smallest of them, due to quantum effects, should have evaporated, losing their mass in the form of radiation and particle flows. But "primordial black holes" with a mass of more than 1015 g could survive to this day. All calculations of stellar collapse are made assuming a slight deviation from spherical symmetry and show that the event horizon is always formed. However, with a strong deviation from spherical symmetry, the collapse of a star can lead to the formation of a region with infinitely strong gravity, but not surrounded by an event horizon; it is called the "naked singularity". It is no longer a black hole in the sense we discussed above. Physical laws near a naked singularity can take a very unexpected form. Currently, a naked singularity is regarded as an unlikely object, while most astrophysicists believe in the existence of black holes.
properties of black holes. To an outside observer, the structure of a black hole looks extremely simple. In the process of a star collapsing into a black hole in a small fraction of a second (according to the clock of a distant observer), all its external features associated with the inhomogeneity of the original star are radiated in the form of gravitational and electromagnetic waves. The resulting stationary black hole "forgets" all information about the original star, except for three quantities: total mass, angular momentum (related to rotation) and electric charge. By studying a black hole, it is no longer possible to know whether the original star consisted of matter or antimatter, whether it had the shape of a cigar or a pancake, and so on. Under real astrophysical conditions, a charged black hole will attract particles of the opposite sign from the interstellar medium, and its charge will quickly become zero. The remaining stationary object will either be a non-rotating "Schwarzschild black hole", which is characterized only by mass, or a rotating "Kerr black hole", which is characterized by mass and angular momentum. The uniqueness of the above types of stationary black holes was proved in the framework of the general theory of relativity by W. Israel, B. Carter, S. Hawking and D. Robinson. According to the general theory of relativity, space and time are curved by the gravitational field of massive bodies, with the greatest curvature occurring near black holes. When physicists talk about intervals of time and space, they mean numbers read from any physical clock or ruler. For example, the role of a clock can be played by a molecule with a certain frequency of oscillations, the number of which between two events can be called a "time interval". It is remarkable that gravity acts on all physical systems in the same way: all clocks show that time is slowing down, and all rulers show that space is stretching near a black hole. This means that a black hole is bending the geometry of space and time around itself. Far from the black hole, this curvature is small, but near it is so large that light rays can move around it in a circle. Away from a black hole, its gravitational field is exactly described by Newton's theory for a body of the same mass, but near the black hole, gravity becomes much stronger than Newton's theory predicts. Any body falling into a black hole will be torn apart long before it crosses the event horizon by powerful tidal gravitational forces arising from the difference in attraction at different distances from the center. A black hole is always ready to absorb matter or radiation, thereby increasing its mass. Its interaction with the outside world is determined by a simple Hawking principle: the area of ​​a black hole's event horizon never decreases, if you do not take into account the quantum production of particles. J. Bekenstein in 1973 suggested that black holes obey the same physical laws as physical bodies that emit and absorb radiation (the "black body" model). Influenced by this idea, Hawking in 1974 showed that black holes can emit matter and radiation, but this will be noticeable only if the mass of the black hole itself is relatively small. Such black holes could be born immediately after the Big Bang, which began the expansion of the Universe. The masses of these primary black holes should be no more than 1015 g (like a small asteroid), and 10-15 m in size (like a proton or neutron). A powerful gravitational field near a black hole gives rise to particle-antiparticle pairs; one of the particles of each pair is absorbed by the hole, and the second is emitted outside. A black hole with a mass of 1015 g should behave like a body with a temperature of 1011 K. The idea of ​​"evaporation" of black holes completely contradicts the classical idea of ​​them as bodies that cannot radiate.
Search for black holes. Calculations within the framework of Einstein's general theory of relativity indicate only the possibility of the existence of black holes, but by no means prove their presence in the real world; the discovery of a real black hole would be an important step in the development of physics. Searching for isolated black holes in space is hopelessly difficult: we won't be able to spot a small dark object against the blackness of space. But there is hope to detect a black hole by its interaction with the surrounding astronomical bodies, by its characteristic influence on them. Supermassive black holes can be at the centers of galaxies, continuously devouring stars there. Concentrating around the black hole, the stars should form central peaks of brightness in the cores of galaxies; their search is now underway. Another search method is to measure the speed of stars and gas around a central object in the galaxy. If their distance from the central object is known, then its mass and average density can be calculated. If it significantly exceeds the density possible for star clusters, then it is believed that this is a black hole. In this way, in 1996, J. Moran and colleagues determined that in the center of the galaxy NGC 4258, there is probably a black hole with a mass of 40 million solar masses. The most promising is the search for a black hole in binary systems, where it, paired with a normal star, can revolve around a common center of mass. From the periodic Doppler shift of the lines in the spectrum of a star, one can understand that it is paired with a certain body and even estimate the mass of the latter. If this mass exceeds 3 solar masses, and it is not possible to notice the radiation of the body itself, then it is very possible that this is a black hole. In a compact binary system, a black hole can capture gas from the surface of a normal star. Moving in orbit around the black hole, this gas forms a disk and, approaching the black hole in a spiral, becomes very hot and becomes a source of powerful X-rays. Rapid fluctuations in this radiation should indicate that the gas is rapidly moving in a small radius orbit around a tiny massive object. Since the 1970s, several X-ray sources have been discovered in binary systems with clear signs of the presence of black holes. The most promising is the X-ray binary V 404 Cygnus, the mass of the invisible component of which is estimated at no less than 6 solar masses. Other remarkable black hole candidates are in the X-ray binaries Cygnus X-1, LMCX-3, V 616 Monocerotis, QZ Chanterelles, and the X-ray novae Ophiuchus 1977, Mukha 1981, and Scorpio 1994. With the exception of LMCX-3, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, all of them are in our Galaxy at distances of the order of 8000 ly. years from Earth.
see also
COSMOLOGY;
GRAVITY ;
GRAVITATIONAL COLLAPSE ;
RELATIVITY ;
EXTRAATMOSPHERIC ASTRONOMY.
LITERATURE
Cherepashchuk A.M. Masses of black holes in binary systems. Uspekhi fizicheskikh nauk, vol. 166, p. 809, 1996

Collier Encyclopedia. - Open Society. 2000 .

Synonyms:

See what "BLACK HOLE" is in other dictionaries:

BLACK HOLE, a localized area of ​​outer space, from which neither matter nor radiation can escape, in other words, the first space velocity exceeds the speed of light. The boundary of this region is called the event horizon. Scientific and technical encyclopedic dictionary

Space an object resulting from the compression of a body by gravity. forces up to sizes smaller than its gravitational radius rg=2g/c2 (where M is the mass of the body, G is the gravitational constant, c is the numerical value of the speed of light). Prediction about the existence in ... ... Physical Encyclopedia

Exist., number of synonyms: 2 star (503) unknown (11) ASIS Synonym Dictionary. V.N. Trishin. 2013 ... Synonym dictionary

There is no cosmic phenomenon more mesmerizing in its beauty than black holes. As you know, the object got its name due to the fact that it is able to absorb light, but cannot reflect it. Due to the huge attraction, black holes suck in everything that is near them - planets, stars, space debris. However, this is not all that you should know about black holes, as there are many amazing facts about them.

Black holes have no point of no return

For a long time it was believed that everything that falls into the region of a black hole remains in it, but the result of recent research has been that after a while the black hole “spits out” all the contents into space, but in a different form than the original one. The event horizon, which was considered the point of no return for space objects, turned out to be only their temporary refuge, but this process is very slow.

Earth is threatened by a black hole

The solar system is just a part of an infinite galaxy, in which there is a huge number of black holes. It turns out that the Earth is also threatened by two of them, but fortunately, they are located at a great distance - about 1600 light years. They were discovered in a galaxy that was formed as a result of the merger of two galaxies.


Scientists saw black holes only due to the fact that they were close to the solar system with the help of an X-ray telescope, which is able to capture the X-rays emitted by these space objects. Black holes, since they are next to each other and practically merge into one, were called by one name - Chandra in honor of the moon god from Hindu mythology. Scientists are confident that Chandra will soon become one due to the huge force of gravity.

Black holes may disappear over time

Sooner or later, all the contents of the black hole escapes and only radiation remains. Losing mass, black holes become smaller over time, and then completely disappear. The death of a space object is very slow and therefore it is unlikely that any of the scientists will be able to see how the black hole decreases, and then disappears. Stephen Hawking argued that a hole in space is a highly compressed planet, and over time it evaporates, starting at the edges of the distortion.

Black holes don't have to look black

Scientists argue that since a space object absorbs light particles into itself without reflecting them, a black hole has no color, only its surface gives out - the event horizon. With its gravitational field, it obscures all space behind it, including planets and stars. But at the same time, due to the absorption of planets and stars on the surface of a black hole in a spiral due to the enormous speed of movement of objects and friction between them, a glow appears that can be brighter than stars. This is a collection of gases, stardust and other matter that is sucked in by a black hole. Also, sometimes a black hole can emit electromagnetic waves and therefore can be visible.

Black holes are not created from nowhere, their basis is an extinguished star.

Stars glow in space thanks to their supply of fusion fuel. When it ends, the star begins to cool, gradually turning from a white dwarf to a black one. Inside the cooled star, pressure begins to decrease. Under the influence of gravitational force, the cosmic body begins to shrink. The consequence of this process is that the star seems to explode, all its particles fly apart in space, but at the same time, gravitational forces continue to act, attracting neighboring space objects, which are then absorbed by it, increasing the power of the black hole and its size.

Supermassive black hole

A black hole, tens of thousands of times larger than the Sun, is located in the very center of the Milky Way. Scientists called it Sagittarius and it is located at a distance from the Earth 26,000 light years. This region of the galaxy is extremely active and absorbs everything that is near it with great speed. Also often she "spits out" extinguished stars.


Surprising is the fact that the average density of a black hole, even considering its huge size, can even be equal to the density of air. With an increase in the radius of the black hole, that is, the number of objects captured by it, the density of the black hole becomes smaller and this is explained by simple laws of physics. Thus, the largest bodies in space may actually be as light as air.

Black hole could create new universes

No matter how strange it may sound, especially against the background of the fact that black holes actually absorb and accordingly destroy everything around, scientists are seriously thinking that these space objects can initiate the emergence of a new Universe. So, as you know, black holes not only absorb matter, but can also release it in certain periods. Any particle that came out of a black hole can explode and this will become a new Big Bang, and according to his theory, our Universe appeared that way, therefore it is possible that the solar system that exists today and in which the Earth revolves, inhabited by a huge number of people, was once born from a massive black hole.

Time passes very slowly near a black hole.

When an object comes close to a black hole, no matter what its mass, its movement starts to slow down and this is because in the black hole itself, time slows down and everything happens very slowly. This is due to the enormous gravitational force that a black hole has. At the same time, what happens in the black hole itself happens quickly enough, because if the observer looked at the black hole from the side, it would seem to him that all the processes taking place in it proceed slowly, but if he got into its funnel, the gravitational forces would instantly tore it apart.

Of all the objects known to mankind that are in outer space, black holes produce the most terrible and incomprehensible impression. This feeling covers almost every person at the mention of black holes, despite the fact that mankind has become aware of them for more than a century and a half. The first knowledge about these phenomena was obtained long before Einstein's publications on the theory of relativity. But the real confirmation of the existence of these objects was obtained not so long ago.

Of course, black holes are rightfully famous for their strange physical characteristics, which give rise to even more mysteries in the universe. They defy all cosmic laws of physics and cosmic mechanics with ease. In order to understand all the details and principles of the existence of such a phenomenon as a cosmic hole, we need to familiarize ourselves with modern achievements in astronomy and apply fantasy, in addition, we will have to go beyond standard concepts. For easier understanding and familiarization with space holes, the portal site has prepared a lot of interesting information that relates to these phenomena in the Universe.

Features of black holes from the portal website

First of all, it should be noted that black holes do not come from nowhere, they are formed from stars that have gigantic sizes and masses. Also, the biggest feature and uniqueness of every black hole is that they have a very strong gravitational pull. The attraction force of objects to a black hole exceeds the second cosmic velocity. Such indicators of gravity indicate that even rays of light cannot escape from the field of action of a black hole, since they have a much lower speed.

A feature of attraction can be called the fact that it attracts all objects that are in close proximity. The larger an object that passes in the vicinity of a black hole, the more influence and attraction it will receive. Accordingly, we can conclude that the larger the object, the stronger it is attracted by the black hole, and in order to avoid such an influence, the cosmic body must have very high speed indicators of movement.

It is also safe to say that in the entire Universe there is no such body that could avoid the attraction of a black hole, being in close proximity, since even the fastest light flux cannot avoid this influence. Einstein's theory of relativity is excellent for understanding the features of black holes. According to this theory, gravity is able to influence time and space distortion. It also says that the larger the object in outer space, the more it slows down time. In the vicinity of the black hole itself, time seems to stop altogether. When a spacecraft enters the field of action of a space hole, one could observe how it would slow down as it approaches, and eventually disappear altogether.

You should not be very scared of phenomena such as black holes and believe all the unscientific information that may exist at the moment. First of all, we need to dispel the most common myth that black holes can suck in all the matter and objects around them, and in doing so they grow and absorb more and more. All this is not entirely true. Yes, indeed, they can absorb cosmic bodies and matter, but only those that are at a certain distance from the hole itself. Apart from their powerful gravity, they are not much different from ordinary stars with gigantic mass. Even when our Sun turns into a black hole, it will only be able to pull in objects located at a short distance, and all the planets will continue to rotate in their usual orbits.

Referring to the theory of relativity, we can conclude that all objects with strong gravity can affect the curvature of time and space. In addition, the greater the mass of the body, the stronger the distortion. So, quite recently, scientists managed to see this in practice, when it was possible to contemplate other objects that should have been inaccessible to our eyes due to huge cosmic bodies such as galaxies or black holes. All this is possible due to the fact that light rays passing near a black hole or another body are very strongly bent under the influence of their gravity. This type of distortion allows scientists to look much further into outer space. But with such studies it is very difficult to determine the real location of the body under study.

Black holes do not appear out of nowhere, they are formed as a result of the explosion of supermassive stars. Moreover, in order for a black hole to form, the mass of the exploded star must be at least ten times greater than the mass of the Sun. Each star exists due to thermonuclear reactions that take place inside the star. In this case, a hydrogen alloy is released during the fusion process, but it cannot leave the star's zone of influence, since its gravity attracts hydrogen back. This whole process is what allows the stars to exist. The synthesis of hydrogen and the gravity of a star are well-established mechanisms, but a violation of this balance can lead to an explosion of a star. In most cases, it is caused by the exhaustion of nuclear fuel.

Depending on the mass of the star, several scenarios of their development after the explosion are possible. So, massive stars form the field of a supernova explosion, and most of them remain behind the core of the former star, astronauts call such objects White Dwarfs. In most cases, a gas cloud forms around these bodies, which is held by the gravity of this dwarf. Another way of development of supermassive stars is also possible, in which the resulting black hole will very strongly attract all the matter of the star to its center, which will lead to its strong compression.

Such compressed bodies are referred to as neutron stars. In the most rare cases, after the explosion of a star, the formation of a black hole in our understanding of this phenomenon is possible. But for a hole to be created, the mass of the star must be simply gigantic. In this case, when the balance of nuclear reactions is disturbed, the gravity of the star simply goes crazy. At the same time, it begins to actively collapse, after which it becomes only a point in space. In other words, we can say that the star as a physical object ceases to exist. Despite the fact that it disappears, a black hole forms behind it with the same gravity and mass.

It is the collapse of stars that leads to the fact that they completely disappear, and in their place a black hole is formed with the same physical properties as the disappeared star. The difference is only a greater degree of compression of the hole than was the volume of the star. The most important feature of all black holes is their singularity, which determines its center. This area opposes all the laws of physics, matter and space, which cease to exist. To understand the concept of singularity, we can say that this is a barrier, which is called the horizon of cosmic events. It is also the outer boundary of the black hole. The Singularity can be called the point of no return, since it is there that the giant gravitational force of the hole begins to act. Even the light that crosses this barrier is unable to escape.

The event horizon has such an attractive effect that it attracts all bodies at the speed of light, with the approach to the black hole itself, the speed indicators increase even more. That is why all objects that fall into the zone of action of this force are doomed to be sucked into the hole. It should be noted that such forces are capable of modifying a body that has fallen under the influence of such an attraction, after which they are stretched into a thin string, and then completely cease to exist in space.

The distance between the event horizon and the singularity can vary, this space is called the Schwarzschild radius. That is why the larger the size of the black hole, the greater will be the radius of action. For example, we can say that a black hole that would have the same mass as our Sun would have a Schwarzschild radius of three kilometers. Accordingly, large black holes have a greater radius of action.

The search for black holes is a rather difficult process, since light cannot escape from them. Therefore, the search and definition are based only on indirect evidence of their existence. The simplest method of finding them, which scientists use, is to search for them by finding places in a dark space if they have a large mass. In most cases, astronomers can find black holes in binary star systems or in the centers of galaxies.

Most astronomers tend to believe that there is also a super-powerful black hole at the center of our galaxy. This statement begs the question, can this hole swallow everything in our galaxy? In reality, this is impossible, since the hole itself has the same mass as the stars, because it is made from a star. Moreover, all the calculations of scientists do not portend any global events associated with this object. Moreover, for billions of years, the cosmic bodies of our galaxy will quietly rotate around this black hole without any changes. The evidence of the existence of a hole in the center of the Milky Way can be the X-ray waves recorded by scientists. And most astronomers tend to believe that black holes actively radiate them in large quantities.

Quite often, star systems consisting of two stars are common in our galaxy, and often one of them can become a black hole. In this version, the black hole absorbs all the bodies in its path, while the matter begins to rotate around it, due to which the so-called acceleration disk is formed. A feature can be called the fact that it increases the speed of rotation and approaches the center. It is the matter that enters the middle of the black hole that emits X-rays, and the matter itself is destroyed.

Binary systems of stars are the very first candidates for the status of a black hole. In such systems, one can most easily find a black hole, due to the volume of a visible star, one can also calculate the indicators of an invisible fellow. Currently, the very first candidate for the status of a black hole may be a star from the constellation Cygnus, which actively emits X-rays.

Drawing a conclusion from all of the above about black holes, we can say that they are not such a dangerous phenomenon, of course, in the case of close proximity, they are the most powerful objects in outer space due to the force of gravity. Therefore, we can say that they are not particularly different from other bodies, their main feature is a strong gravitational field.

Regarding the purpose of black holes, a huge number of theories have been proposed, among which there were even absurd ones. So, according to one of them, scientists believed that black holes can give rise to new galaxies. This theory is based on the fact that our world is a fairly favorable place for the origin of life, but if one of the factors changes, life would be impossible. Because of this, the singularity and the peculiarities of the change in physical properties in black holes can give rise to a completely new Universe, which will be significantly different from ours. But this is only a theory and rather weak due to the fact that there is no evidence of such an effect of black holes.

As for black holes, not only can they absorb matter, but they can also evaporate. A similar phenomenon was proven several decades ago. This evaporation can cause the black hole to lose all its mass, and then disappear altogether.

All this is the smallest piece of information about black holes, which you can find on the portal site. We also have a huge amount of interesting information about other cosmic phenomena.

Despite the huge achievements in the field of physics and astronomy, there are many phenomena, the essence of which has not been fully disclosed. These phenomena include mysterious black holes, all information about which is only theoretical and cannot be verified in practice.

Do black holes exist?

Even before the advent of the theory of relativity, astronomers expressed the theory of the existence of black funnels. After the publication of Einstein's theory, the issue of gravity was revised and new assumptions appeared in the problem of black holes. It is unrealistic to see this space object, because it absorbs all the light that enters its space. Scientists prove the existence of black holes, based on the analysis of the movement of interstellar gas and the trajectory of the movement of stars.

The formation of black holes leads to a change in the space-time characteristics around them. Time seems to shrink under the influence of huge gravity and slows down. Stars caught in the path of the black funnel may deviate from their path and even change direction. Black holes absorb the energy of their twin star, which also manifest themselves.

What does a black hole look like?

Much of the information about black holes is hypothetical. Scientists study them by their effects on space and radiation. It is not possible to see black holes in the universe, because they absorb all the light entering the nearby space. From special satellites, an X-ray image of black objects was made, on which a bright center is visible, which is the source of radiation of the rays.

How are black holes formed?

A black hole in space is a separate world that has its own unique characteristics and properties. The properties of cosmic holes are determined by the reasons for their appearance. Regarding the appearance of black objects, there are such theories:

1. They are the result of collapses occurring in space. It can be a collision of large cosmic bodies or a supernova explosion.
2. They arise due to the weighting of space objects while maintaining their size. The reason for this phenomenon has not been determined.

A black funnel is an object in space that has a relatively small size with a huge mass. The black hole theory says that every cosmic object can potentially become a black funnel if, as a result of some phenomena, it loses its size, but retains its mass. Scientists even talk about the existence of many black microholes - miniature space objects with a relatively large mass. This discrepancy between mass and size leads to an increase in the gravitational field and the appearance of a strong attraction.

What is in a black hole?

A black mysterious object can only be called a hole with a big stretch. The center of this phenomenon is a cosmic body with increased gravity. The result of such gravity is a strong attraction to the surface of this cosmic body. In this case, a vortex flow is formed, in which gases and grains of cosmic dust rotate. Therefore, a black hole is more correctly called a black funnel.

It is impossible to find out in practice what is inside a black hole, because the level of gravity of the cosmic funnel does not allow any object to escape from its zone of influence. According to scientists, there is complete darkness inside a black hole, because light quanta disappear in it irrevocably. It is assumed that space and time are distorted inside the black funnel, the laws of physics and geometry do not apply in this place. Such features of black holes can presumably lead to the formation of antimatter, which is currently unknown to scientists.

Why are black holes dangerous?

Sometimes black holes are described as objects that absorb surrounding objects, radiation and particles. This view is incorrect: the properties of a black hole allow it to absorb only what falls within its zone of influence. It can draw in cosmic microparticles and radiation coming from twin stars. Even if the planet is near the black hole, it will not be absorbed, but will continue to move in its orbit.

What happens if you fall into a black hole?

The properties of black holes depend on the strength of the gravitational field. Black funnels attract to themselves everything that falls into their zone of influence. At the same time, spatio-temporal characteristics change. Scientists who study all about black holes disagree about what happens to things in this funnel:

• some scientists suggest that all objects that fall into these holes are stretched or torn to pieces and do not have time to reach the surface of the attracting object;
• other scientists argue that all the usual characteristics are bent in holes, so objects seem to disappear there in time and space. For this reason, black holes are sometimes called gateways to other worlds.

Types of black holes

Black funnels are divided into types, based on the method of their formation:

1. Black stellar mass objects are born at the end of the life of some stars. The complete combustion of the star and the end of thermonuclear reactions leads to the compression of the star. If at the same time the star undergoes a gravitational collapse, it can transform into a black funnel.
2. Super massive black funnels. Scientists say that the core of any galaxy is a supermassive funnel, the formation of which is the beginning of the emergence of a new galaxy.
3. Primordial black holes. This may include holes of various masses, including microholes formed due to discrepancies in the density of matter and the strength of gravity. Such holes are funnels formed at the beginning of the birth of the Universe. This also includes objects such as a hairy black hole. These holes differ in the presence of rays that look like hairs. It is assumed that these photons and gravitons store some of the information falling into the black hole.
4. quantum black holes. They appear as a result of nuclear reactions and live for a short time. Quantum funnels are of the greatest interest, since their study can help answer questions about the problem of black space objects.
5. Some scientists distinguish this kind of space objects, a hairy black hole. These holes differ in the presence of rays that look like hairs. It is assumed that these photons and gravitons store some of the information falling into the black hole.

The closest black hole to Earth

The nearest black hole is 3000 light years away from Earth. It is called V616 Monocerotis, or V616 Mon. Its weight reaches 9-13 solar masses. The binary partner of this hole is a star half the mass of the Sun. Another funnel relatively close to Earth is Cygnus X-1. It is located 6 thousand light years from Earth and weighs 15 times more than the Sun. This black hole also has its own binary partner, the movement of which helps to trace the influence of Cygnus X-1.

Black holes - interesting facts

Scientists talk about black objects such interesting facts:

1. If we take into account that these objects are the center of galaxies, then to find the largest funnel, you should find the largest galaxy. Therefore, the largest black hole in the universe is a funnel located in the galaxy IC 1101 at the center of the Abell 2029 cluster.
2. Black objects actually look like multi-colored objects. The reason for this lies in their radio-magnetic radiation.
3. There are no permanent physical or mathematical laws in the middle of a black hole. It all depends on the mass of the hole and its gravitational field.
4. Black funnels gradually evaporate.
5. The weight of black funnels can reach incredible sizes. The largest black hole has a mass of 30 million solar masses.