Introduction
Imagine floating around in space. Quiet. Peaceful. A place that has no end. And then all of the sudden you feel a pull on your legs, pulling you into a black hole. You can’t see it, but you know it’s there. A black hole is a place where everything in space and time stops. It pulls in everything near and nothing can escape. It is one of the largest things in the universe yet one of the smallest. This article is about black holes
How black holes are formed
When a star dies, it usually leaves behind a core. If that core has the mass of 3 suns then it gets overwhelmed by gravity. It collapses and makes a black hole. There are different types of black holes. The smallest type of black holes are the size of an atom and the largest type of black holes can have the mass of a million suns and more.
A stellar mass black hole (the most common black hole), is formed when a star ten times the mass of the sun explodes and the core collapses. Scientists think that there is a supermassive black hole in the center of every solar system, even ours.
Why black holes are invisible
Black holes pull in everything close to them and everything that goes in can never come out. When light goes close to a black hole it gets pulled in and without light, we can’t see anything. The light that gets pulled in can never escape, so that is why we can never see black holes.
How scientists know they are there
Scientists know that black holes are out there because they can see the effects of black holes. One example is when a star and a black hole orbit together. When a black hole and a star orbit together, a high energy gas is produced. Scientists have the tools to detect the high energy gas in space.
Another example is when a black hole pulls the gases of a nearby star. When a black hole pulls in the gases of a star, the gases form an accretion disk around it. The accretion disk gets very hot and gives off x-ray light. The scientists can pick up the x-ray light with their special tools.
What happens if you fall in a black hole
As National Geographic says, a “black hole has a stronger gravitational pull than anything in the universe.”(Aguilar) You cannot escape. If you fall in a black hole you will die. There is no chance you will live; it is impossible.
The first thing that happens is you fall. As you fall, gravity will take it’s toll on you. You get overwhelmed by gravity and you will rip into pieces. Scientists call this being ‘Spaghettified’. Some scientists think that there is something called a firewall. It is just past the horizon of the black hole. If you pass through the firewall then you burn up and die.
Conclusion
Black holes are the monsters of the universe. They can suck in the biggest things and the smallest. There are many different types and sizes. Just remember next time you are floating around in space, you may not be able to see black holes, but they are there.
Citations
Aguilar, David A., Christine Pulliam, and Patricia Daniels. Space Encyclopedia: A Tour of Our Solar System and beyond. N.p.: National Geographic, n.d. Print.
“Black Holes, Black Holes Information, Facts, News, Photos — National Geographic.” National Geographic. Web. 12 Apr. 2016. <http://science.nationalgeographic.com/science/space/universe/black-holes-article/>.
“Black Hole.” Britannica School. Web. 08 Mar. 2016. <http://school.eb.com/levels/middle/article/273248>.
“Black Holes – NASA Science.” Black Holes – NASA Science. Web. 16 Mar. 2016. <http://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/black-holes/>.
Crashcourse. “Black Holes: Crash Course Astronomy #33.” YouTube. YouTube, 2015. Web. 01 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZWPBKULkdQ>
DNewsChannel. “What Happens Inside A Black Hole?” YouTube. YouTube, 2014. Web. 04 Apr. 2016. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mn3Egf59F8chttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v>.
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Dunbar, Brian. “What Is a Black Hole?” NASA. NASA, 30 Sept. 2008. Web. 19 Apr. 2016. <http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-a-black-hole-k4.html>.
Finkel, Michael. “Black Holes.” Black Hole: Star Eater. Mar. 2014. Web. 07 Mar. 2016. <http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2014/03/black-holes/finkel-text>.
Irion, Robert. “Homing In On Black Holes.” Smithsonian. Apr. 2008. Web. 17 Mar. 2016. <http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/homing-in-on-black-holes-31385827/?no-ist>.
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