What is a black hole? "Black holes don't have hair." Closest black hole to Earth

Black holes are the only ones space bodies capable of attracting light by gravity. They are also the most large objects Universe. We're not likely to know what's going on near their event horizon (known as the "point of no return") anytime soon. These are the most mysterious places of our world, about which, despite decades of research, very little is known so far. This article contains 10 facts that can be called the most intriguing.

Black holes don't suck in matter.

Many people think of a black hole as a kind of "cosmic vacuum cleaner" that draws in the surrounding space. In fact, black holes are ordinary space objects, which have an exceptionally strong gravitational field.

If a black hole of the same size arose in the place of the Sun, the Earth would not be pulled inward, it would rotate in the same orbit as it does today. Stars located near black holes lose part of their mass in the form of stellar wind (this happens during the existence of any star) and black holes absorb only this matter.

The existence of black holes was predicted by Karl Schwarzschild

Karl Schwarzschild was the first to apply Einstein's general theory of relativity to justify the existence of a "point of no return". Einstein himself did not think about black holes, although his theory makes it possible to predict their existence.

Schwarzschild made his suggestion in 1915, just after Einstein published his general theory of relativity. That's when the term "Schwarzschild radius" came about, a value that tells you how much you have to compress an object to make it a black hole.

Theoretically, anything can become a black hole, given enough compression. The denser the object, the stronger the gravitational field it creates. For example, the Earth would become a black hole if an object the size of a peanut had its mass.

Black holes can spawn new universes

The idea that black holes can spawn new universes seems absurd (especially since we are still not sure about the existence of other universes). Nevertheless, such theories are being actively developed by scientists.

A very simplified version of one of these theories is as follows. Our world has exceptionally favorable conditions for the emergence of life in it. If any of physical constants changed even a little, we would not be in this world. The singularity of black holes cancels ordinary laws physics and can (at least in theory) give rise to a new universe that will be different from ours.

Black holes can turn you (and anything) into spaghetti

Black holes stretch objects that are close to them. These items begin to resemble spaghetti (there are even special term- "spaghettification").

This is due to the way gravity works. AT this moment your feet are closer to the center of the earth than your head, so they are more strongly attracted. At the surface of a black hole, the difference in gravity starts to work against you. The legs are attracted to the center of the black hole faster and faster, so that the upper half of the torso cannot keep up with them. Result: spaghettification!

Black holes evaporate over time

Black holes not only absorb the stellar wind, but also evaporate. This phenomenon was discovered in 1974 and was named Hawking radiation (after Stephen Hawking, who made the discovery).

Over time, the black hole can give all its mass into the surrounding space along with this radiation and disappear.

Black holes slow down time around them

As you get closer to the event horizon, time slows down. To understand why this happens, we need to turn to the “twin paradox”, thought experiment, often used to illustrate the main points general theory Einstein's relativity.

One of the twin brothers remains on Earth, and the second flies to space trip moving at the speed of light. Returning to Earth, the twin finds that his brother has aged more than he, because when moving at a speed close to the speed of light, time passes more slowly.

As you approach the event horizon of a black hole, you will be moving at such a high speed that time will slow down for you.

Black holes are the most advanced power plants

Black holes generate energy better than the Sun and other stars. This is due to the matter revolving around them. Crossing the event horizon great speed, matter in the orbit of a black hole is heated to extremely high temperatures. This is called blackbody radiation.

For comparison, at nuclear fusion 0.7% of matter is converted into energy. Near a black hole, 10% of matter becomes energy!

Black holes warp space around them

Space can be thought of as a stretched rubber band with lines drawn on it. If you put an object on the plate, it will change its shape. Black holes work the same way. Their extreme mass attracts everything to itself, including light (the rays of which, continuing the analogy, could be called lines on a plate).

Black holes limit the number of stars in the universe

Stars arise from gas clouds. In order for star formation to begin, the cloud must cool.

Radiation from black bodies prevents gas clouds from cooling and prevents the formation of stars.

Theoretically, any object can become a black hole.

The only difference between our Sun and a black hole is the strength of gravity. It is much stronger at the center of a black hole than at the center of a star. If our Sun were compressed to about five kilometers in diameter, it could be a black hole.

Theoretically, anything can become a black hole. In practice, we know that black holes arise only as a result of the collapse of huge stars, exceeding the mass of the Sun by 20-30 times.

Accidentally getting too close to a black hole will stretch you like spaghetti
Powerful radiation will fry you before you "spaghetti"
You don't even have time to notice how a black hole will swallow the Earth
And at the same time, a black hole can create a hologram of the entire planet.

Black holes have long been a source of great excitement and intrigue.

After the discovery of gravitational waves, interest in black holes will certainly increase now.

One question remains unchanged - what will happen to the planet and humanity, if it is theoretically assumed that a black hole will be next to the Earth?

by the most known consequence the neighborhood of a black hole will become a phenomenon called "spaghettification". In short, if you get too close to a black hole, you will be stretched like spaghetti. This effect is caused by the effect of gravity on your body.

Imagine that your feet were first in the direction of the black hole.

Since your feet are closer to the black hole, they will feel a stronger pull than your head.

Even worse, your arms, because they are not in the center of your body, will be stretched in a different direction than your head. The edges of your body will pull inward. Ultimately, your body will not only stretch, but become thin in the middle.

Therefore, any body or other object, such as the Earth, will begin to resemble spaghetti long before it enters the center of a black hole.

What would happen, hypothetically, if a black hole suddenly appeared next to the Earth?

The same gravitational effects, which can lead to "spaghettification", will immediately begin to take effect. To the side of the Earth closest to the black hole gravitational forces will be stronger than opposite side. Thus, the death of the entire planet would be inevitable. She would have been torn apart.

If the planet were within the range of a super-powerful black hole, we would not even have time to notice anything, as it would have swallowed us in an instant.

But before the thunder strikes, we still have time.

If such a failure happened, and we would fall into a black hole, we could find ourselves on a holographic likeness of our planet.

Interestingly, black holes are not necessarily black.

Quasars are the bright nuclei of distant galaxies that feed on the energy of radiation from black holes.

They are so bright that they exceed the radiation power of all the stars in their own galaxies.

Such radiation appears when a black hole feasts on new matter.

To be clear, what we can still see is matter outside the range of a black hole. There is nothing within its range, not even light.

During the absorption of matter, colossal energy is radiated. It is this glow that can be seen when observing quasars.

Therefore, objects that are in close proximity to a black hole, it will be very hot.

Long before "spaghettification" powerful radiation will fry you.

For those who have watched Christopher Nolan's film Interstellar, the prospect of a planet orbiting a black hole can only be appealing in one way.

For the development of life, a source of energy or a temperature difference is needed. And a black hole can be such a source.

However, there is one condition.

The black hole must stop absorbing any matter. Otherwise, it will emit too much energy to support life on neighboring worlds. What life would be like in such a world (provided that it is not too close, otherwise it "spaghetti"), but that's another question.

The amount of energy that the planet will receive will most likely be tiny compared to what the Earth receives from the Sun.

And the habitat on such a planet would be rather strange.

That's why, when making the film Interstellar, Thorne consulted with scientists to ensure the accuracy of the image of the black hole.

All these factors do not rule out life, it just has a rather rigid outlook and it is very difficult to predict what it will look like.

The concept of a black hole was treated with caution just a decade ago, believing that this is nothing more than one of the theories put forward by astrophysicists. Since then, much has changed, and now the existence of black holes is no longer disputed by anyone.

What is a black hole

When a star dies, it happens amazing transformations. Due to the lack of hydrogen, which gradually burns out, the aging star grows in size, which subsequently leads to its explosion. After this happens, the cooled star is subjected to a powerful effect of gravity and becomes a small body, by the standards of space, but with a powerful gravitational field that draws in everything that is in the access zone.

These very "gluttonous" space objects are capable of absorbing and spaceships, and rays of light, and stardust, and not very big stars, like ours, if they are nearby.

A curious fact is that a black hole is practically invisible - earthly astronomers do not yet have instruments and other tools to see it. Scientists judge the presence of a black hole only by external manifestations, watching as this space vacuum cleaner greedily sucks in another star. At the same time, the black hole behaves like a bloodthirsty predator: by tightening the victim, it makes it shatter to pieces. And in the last stage, the disappearing object begins to emit a parting light before becoming invisible. Moreover, these parting rays are X-rays, which made it possible for scientists to see the amazing process.

How many black holes are there in the universe

Astrophysicists claim that this phenomenon is widespread in the Universe. Such eaters of stars and matter are present in every Galaxy. Therefore, if there are other civilizations than the earth, then no one can feel safe, and therefore it is not superfluous to think in advance about the development of not only other planets, but also other star systems.

Cluster of black holes

The fact is that it is necessary to vigilantly track not only the black holes already known to astronomers today, but also to observe the processes as a result of which the same black holes can appear much closer to the Earth. While the closest of them, according to scientists, is present in our Galaxy, it was called Sagittarius. And we have to console ourselves with the fact that this most merciless Sagittarius is far from our planet, although it belongs to the rank of supermassive.

The Earth and the Sun until the black hole threatens

Our planetary system while it can feel relatively safe from black holes, unless, of course, it blows itself up as a result of conflicts. A hint, of course, at the conflicts that have flared up on Earth. As for Sagittarius, he is waiting for his new victims at a distance of more than 20 thousand light years from us. Therefore, its activities can still be observed with the inquisitiveness of scientists investigating the activity of a spider that weaves its webs, but does not threaten us in any way. So far, nothing suggests that a black hole may appear in our Galaxy in the coming centuries.

What's next, beyond the black hole?

This question excites the imagination of many scientists. After all, these objects of the Universe are, as it were, beyond the bounds of time and space. There is even a theory that black holes are just a kind of passage, like underground under a wide highway, which allows you to move to an unknown part of the universe. But skeptics consider this nothing more than an excuse for science fiction writers to write novels. However, there are no other, more solid versions yet, and therefore writers use black hole plots in their works with might and main.

First, the good news: black holes can't kill you. The strange news is that the universe is quite possibly teeming with microscopic black holes that formed at the dawn of time, all hurtling through space like cosmic bullets.

Some of them can weigh as much as the Earth's satellite - the Moon, others - like asteroids. But, regardless of weight, most of them should be less than the spaces in this sentence.

It sounds like science fiction, which it could be. But perhaps things are not so simple.

Dark matter

Now astrophysicists are working to explain how most things in the universe are made. They know that roughly 80% of the universe is dark matter, which exerts a gravitational pull on the other 20% of "normal" matter. This dark matter has remained invisible to experiments for the past 80 years.

Devices installed in space and underground released particles dark matter for many years, but it still hasn't brought any results. That is why the researchers came to the somewhat frightening conclusion that we are surrounded countless black holes that formed 13.8 billion years ago.

On the dark side matter particle spectrum range of possibilities narrows very quickly. This could lead to a crisis of science if the solution to this riddle is never found.

Hope for the existence of small black holes

To clarify this issue, it is worth noting that physicists do not put very much on the existence of an infinite number of small black holes. As previously reported, the leading hypothesis is that dark matter particles do exist. The problem is that this search turned out to be more difficult than expected.

Possible weight of miniature black holes

Scientists looking for these ancient black holes do think they are quite heavy, perhaps 20 to 100 times heavier than the mass of the sun. This idea has gained more support since the recent groundbreaking detection of gravitational waves, which are formed after the collision of two black holes of an unusual size (30 times the mass of the Sun).

If these small black holes are real, the heaviest of them would weigh less than the moon and be 0.25 millimeters in diameter. The same width has a human hair. In this case, very light holes, the weight of which is the same as that of asteroids, will have an apparent size smaller than that of an atom.

What is the event horizon

The reason for this phenomenon is that black holes are extremely dense. In fact, any piece of matter in the universe compressed tightly enough can collapse if it goes beyond the gravitational point of no return. This boundary is spherical and is called the event horizon. Even photons of light - the fastest things in the Universe - cannot go beyond its limits if they fall into it.

Any black holes that are smaller than asteroids probably evaporated a long time ago due to Hawking's radiation - a fantastic operation of the laws of nature that Stephen Hawking formulated in 1974.

Possible impact on Earth

But if tiny black holes do exist around us, how often do they move, and how might that affect us?

Asteroid-mass black holes, if made entirely of dark matter, can pass through the Earth once every 1,000 years or so and are very difficult to detect. But if one of them passed near the Earth, scientists would probably feel it. Although some experts are skeptical that black holes with the weight of an asteroid can be dangerous and can be felt.

But what if a very heavy black hole, the weight of which is equal to the moon, were to pass close to the orbit of our planet? Of course, scientists would notice if such a black hole passed near the Earth, as it would affect the orbits of all our satellites. For example, it could ruin the GPS.

The good news is that the Earth can be affected by such black holes every 100 million years or so as they pass between its orbit and the Sun. But such an event is absurd and unlikely, although it would certainly cause havoc. Besides, such a black hole could definitely kill someone.

However, the scariest scenario, at least for scientists, is what these super tiny black holes, which are virtually undetectable, will mean for science.

It is quite possible that there is no interaction between dark and ordinary matter, except through gravity. But if that's the case, then we're in trouble. Scientists will never be able to continue their experiments if there is something completely invisible to them.

Humanity has long been disturbed by stories of inexplicable disappearances of people. In world history mass disappearances are the most important of all unexplained cases. Before today scientists cannot explain these strange phenomena. However, there is a version that “black holes” are to blame for everything, one of the most unexplained phenomena universe, but which are also on earth.

Really physical processes, which control black holes in space, exist on Earth? South African astronomer Dr. Christopher von Klemper put forward a hypothesis that fully explains the disappearances without a trace, aircraft, ships and people in different parts of the Earth. Scientists have always believed that black holes exist only in deep space. They are invisible and have colossal gravitational force. Even light cannot escape their attraction. Researchers Have Watched Whole Entities Disappear in Black Holes solar systems galaxies. However, no one suspected that black holes could exist on our planet. The supporter of this hypothesis is Prof. University of California Jane Lindsett. Scientific research Lindsett, Klemper and other equally well-known scientists are forced academia take a different look at the phenomenon of the disappearance of many people, which no one has ever explained. According to Jane Lindsett, time and space on Earth periodically refract, so entire cities can be in another dimension. There are dozens of similar black holes on our planet, and people quite often fall into them.

For example, in Texas, 35-year-old Lydia Kimfield disappeared while visiting a doctor. Less than an hour later, Kimfield's corpse was found a thousand kilometers from her city. After the autopsy, it turned out that she had died more than a month ago.

There is a mysterious road in New Mexico where 19 people disappeared without a trace. The road is located in the desert, which is perfectly visible from the air. It is possible that the missing people ended up in the forest or in open ocean where they died. Objects cannot pass through space, and that is why the personal belongings of the missing and empty ships remain.

In medieval chronicles and ancient chronicles, cases are described when a person seemed to dissolve in the air in the blink of an eye in front of eyewitnesses. For the first time about such a mysterious incident that occurred in Ancient Greece wrote Plato. One warrior, who was pierced by a dart in the midst of the battle, seemed to evaporate into thin air. In the place where he was a second ago, there were only his shield, weapons and even a dart.

In Tibet and India, sudden disappearances of people also happened very often. They did not see anything unusual in this and explained that the person, with the help of special psychotechnics, simply moved from one place to another. Our ancestors in the past said that a person "flew to another world."

Cases of people disappearing in front of witnesses are also mentioned in medieval European chronicles. Similar cases great amount. For example, a well-known case occurred in Germany. After execution important task diplomat Benjamin Bethurst was returning home with a friend. On the way they stopped for dinner in the German village of Perelberg. When they returned to the carriage, the diplomat began to inspect the horses. The moment Bathurst was petting one of the horses, he disappeared. This happened in front of his friend, who was speechless with surprise. Despite a long search, the diplomat was never found.

In Paris in 1867, before the eyes of Dr. Bonvilina also happened mysterious disappearance. The doctor's neighbor came to him for advice on a weakness that had appeared in him. Bonvillain walked away for a second to get a stethoscope, asking his neighbor to undress and lie down on the couch. When he turned, the patient was gone, just his clothes lying on a chair beside him. Bonvillain immediately went to a neighbor's house, but the apartment was empty. The missing person was not found by the police, to which the doctor declared. Where a completely naked person could have gone remains a mystery.

According to Dr. John Hutchinson, who studies physical anomalies, such disappearances are associated with the existence of micro black holes on our planet. According to Hutchinson, the disappearance of ships in the Bermuda Triangle is also related to this. When matter is swallowed by a black hole, a huge amount of various forces, including and magnetic waves. It is these waves that are the reason for the disappearance of ships. Is it possible that there is a black hole in the Atlantic Ocean that affects the Earth's magnetic field? Quite often, ships and planes are thrown off course due to navigation problems that conventional navigators have not encountered before. Almost on the entire surface of the planet magnetic North Pole significantly different from northern geographic pole. And in the Bermuda Triangle, these poles coincide.

Scientists have evidence that the planet's magnetic field is constantly changing, and in certain places it is possible magnetic anomalies. The Earth's core, which is molten metal, created the Earth's magnetic field. While this metal flows from the depths of the planet, from earth's core, it flips. These movements sometimes coincide with the rotation of the Earth. Due to the electrical conductivity of the metal, the Earth's magnetic field is also updated. Geophysics professor Jeremy Blockson managed to find a zone where the southern magnetic pole mysteriously turns into the north magnetic pole. This is not often seen. This phenomenon is called inversion. magnetic field. In the southern part atlantic ocean researchers observe a sector in which the magnetic field changes polarity. The magnetic field in this region looks very different than in most of the planet. In cases where the magnetic field reversal is so strong that it can be detected by an aircraft or ship's compass, the effect can be devastating.

The most famous case when the compass in the Bermuda Triangle showed a malfunction was the loss of aircraft. famous group 19. So, in December 1945, 5 American torpedo bombers left the naval base to carry out learning task. They disappeared into the center bermuda triangle. A plane was sent from the base with a rescue mission. This plane also disappeared without a trace, like the aircraft of Group 19.

Black holes around them create the strongest gravity in the entire universe. A similar effect can be observed in various parts of the gravitational field, including on our planet. In the southern part of the Bermuda Triangle, near Puerto Rico, is one of the most deep places on the planet - a depression on seabed, the depth of which reaches 8 km. This trough is called the Puerto Rico Trench and you can observe these strange gravitational phenomena on Earth in it. So, usually the force of gravity in our universe behaves quite predictably. But as soon as any object reaches the radius of the black hole, the force of gravity increases so much that the object can be destroyed. Gravity is extremely strong around a black hole. So much so that, in fact, a black hole is a huge vacuum cleaner that sucks everything that is nearby. Its gravity is so powerful that it can even suck in light.

How true is the hypothesis regarding the existence of black holes on Earth, time will tell if science takes the mysterious disappearances of people seriously.

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