God

“God is a philosophical black hole-the point where reason breaks down.” (Kedar Joshi)

Scientists have been looking into black holes since 1783, when scientist John Mitchell first proposed the idea that they were possible. At the center of most galaxies is one of the strangest and deadliest things in the universe, a black hole. Most black holes (regardless of their size) are born when a giant star runs out of energy. The star implodes, and its center collapses under its own weight.

This causes an explosion called a supernova. The giant star is eventually squashed into a super small dot you can’t see. Though astronomers can’t see black holes, they know they’re there by the effect they have on objects that get too close. Black holes don't live forever. They slowly evaporate over time, returning their energy to the universe. Though scientists may still be learning about these space marvels, read below about what they do know:

 

1.   Black holes helped create galaxies-While astronomers aren’t entirely sure yet what part the black holes have played in the creation of galaxies, one theory is that a large star exploded, a black hole formed and the rest of the galaxy was created around it.

 

2.   Black holes used to be stars-Stars live a very long time but, just like us, they don’t live forever. They slowly burn through the fuel that keeps them shining. When they run out, one of three things happens, mainly depending on its mass – the star will transform into a white dwarf, a neutron star or a black hole. If the star is big enough (say 10 or 15 times as weighty as the sun) it will explode when it reaches its end.

 

The explosion causes the star to cave in on itself, decreasing its size dramatically. Because the size of the star gets smaller but the mass of it does not, the gravity surrounding the star becomes so strong it absorbs everything around it, including light, and a black hole is born.

3.   There are 3 types of black holes-Primordial: Considered to be tiny – these range from the size of a single atom to a mountain. Mountains probably don’t seem tiny to you but space is a mighty big place. Stellar: These are the ones most often found. They are about 20 times bigger than the sun. Supermassive: The recently discovered black hole falls into this category. To be amongst this group the hole has to be more than a million times heavier than the sun.

 

4.   There’s a black hole in the Milky Way-It’s believed by scientists that there’s a supermassive black hole in the middle of almost every galaxy. In fact, there’s one at the center of the Milky Way known as Sagittarius A.* Because the pull of a black hole is so strong you might wonder whether Earth is in any danger of being sucked into one of the supermassive varieties. Well, worry not. Sagittarius A*, the Milky Way’s black hole, is 26,000 light years from Earth - too far away for it to affect us.

 

5.   You can’t see them with the naked eye-The reason black holes are black is that the gravitational pull at their centre is so strong it consumes everything around it, including light. Because there is no reflection, we have no instrumentation that can detect the hole directly. So what scientists do instead is look for the traditional effects a black hole has on its surroundings. When a star is being pulled into the hole it breaks apart and becomes distorted. As it’s sucked in, the bits of matter from the star move faster, and create intense heat and throw off a glare of X-rays. That’s what astronomers can use to identify a hole.

 “When I was a kid, I was fascinated by space, and I learnt that time slows near a black hole.
Inside a black hole, time stops altogether. Whether or not this theory will ever be proved,
I’m moved to believe this would be the perfect place to love someone.”  (Shane Koyczan)[i]

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[i] Sources used:

·        “5 Things you didn’t know about black holes” by Cbc Kids

·        “Black Holes” by National Geographic Kids