Great Black Hole for the beginner site

[nexius]

I was listening to a podcast and they mentioned this website http://hubblesite.org/explore_astronomy/black_holes/home.html <br /><br />I checked out the site and I think its great. It shows you visually the effects of a black hole and explains in basic terms what is happening. I'm not sure if anyone has already posted it but I see alot of black hole questions on here and I think this may help some beginners.

 

[alokmohan]

Existence of black holes or seeing them are farfetched.This is scientific guess only.Seeing black holes may not be right term.

 

[SpeedFreek]

I think you will find we have already observed a whole load of evidence for black holes. We have found quite a few of them. Of course, you cannot directly see an object that light cannot escape from, rather you observe its effects on the surrounding environment. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#ff0000">_______________________________________________<br /></font><font size="2"><em>SpeedFreek</em></font> </p> </div>

 

[oscar1]

We have come to the conclusion that black holes should exist. And when famous scientists (such as Hawking) virtually build a career around them, they are a phenomenon one can't discard. Still, if I'd apply the rationale of for example our SteveW33 here, they won't exist until we can prove beyond doubt that they do.

 

[nexius]

I didnt really post this to fight about if they exist or not I was just giving it as a resource for people that want to learn. This is the "amateur astronomy" forum =)

 

[alokmohan]

The web begins with observed black hole.Nobody has observed black hole.They are as mythological as unicorn.Although black hole is brain child of Einstein,the later dicouraged Schwarshild when he put up some equtions.That time we called it Scwardshild singularity.Later on John Wheeler coind the term.But till days we can confidently say black holes probably exist as in no case theory of relativity has been violated.

 

[alokmohan]

Of all the conceptions of human mind,from unicorn to gargoyles to the hydrogen bomb,the most fantastic,perhaps is the black hole:a hole in space with a definite edge into which anything can fall and out of which nothing can escape,a hole with a gravitational force so strong that even light is caught and held in its grip ,a hole that curves space and warps time..Like unicorn and gargoyles,black holes seem more at home in the realms of science fictionand ancient myths than in the real universe.Nonethe less well tested laws of physics predict firmly that black holes exist.I n our galaxy alone there may be millions,but thier darkness hides them from view.ASTRONOMERS HAVE GREAT DIFFICULTY IN FINDING THEM.

 

[oscar1]

No argument sought, just added a view about the BH phenomenon. And there is more that is hardly ever discussed when black holes are raised. That is that current science demands that the speed of light is the maximum speed in the universe, yet does not explain how gravity can escape where light can't; kind of a paradox this.

 

[witgenestone]

Well. I prefer unicorns & gargoyles. Remember that these creatures has also been observed indirectly <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />.

 

[alokmohan]

We are most probably right.Kip Thorne says well tested laws of physics predict firmly that black holes exist.But astronomers have great difficulty in finding them.But Kip has told us on a voyage among the black holes.Imaginry journey no doubt. He takes us to a black hole named Hades near vega.He has been commisioned by the world Geographical society.He is owner of a space ship having computers .robots and a crew of hundreds to his(my?)bidding. Arnold ,the robot is thrown int black hole He sends signal for few minutes and then perishes to become part of black hole.

 

[nexius]

Dont they have visual proof they exist? Cygnus-X?

 

[oscar1]

We don't have proof there, only a candidate.

 

[alokmohan]

No proof .But theritically possible.This debate is going from time of Einstein.Black hole is a brain child of Einstein ,But when Scwarchild put up a model,he dicarded it.Then in 1920s,Chanrasekhar worked on matter degeneration .He explained white dwarf,neutron star,it was accepted.When he took matter degeneration to say star collapses on itself,Eddington jeered.But now it is thught black holes are probable by laws of physics. You may read Kips book on this.

 

[alokmohan]

Event horizon beyond which you cant see black hole.

 

[alokmohan]

Read Kip Thornes bookn on black hole.

 

[alokmohan]

An international team of astrophysicists including Volker Beckmann of UMBC/NASA-Goddard has discovered a possible new black hole near the center of the Milky Way galaxy.<br /><br />The previously unknown black hole surprised scientists by suddenly "switching on," emitting strong pulses of radiation as it began consuming gas from the star it orbits over 26,000 light years away from our solar system. The discovery, detailed in a letter published in the Journal of Astronomy & Astrophysics, was made using NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) satellites.<br /><br />In an ESA press release, Roland Walter, an astronomer at the ESA's INTEGRAL Science Data Center and lead author of the research results said, "The galactic center is one of the most exciting regions for gamma ray astronomy because there are so many potential gamma-ray sources."<br /><br />Beckmann, a research assistant professor at UMBC's Joint Center for Astrophysics and NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, was part of the team who used NASA's Swift satellite and ESA's INTEGRAL satellite to spot the tell-tale gamma-ray outburst. The research team includes scientists from Switzerland, France, Belgium, Poland, the United States and Spain.<br /><br />According to Beckmann, potential new black holes are scarcer than commonly thought. "We know about 10 stellar systems in which we're pretty sure that there's a black hole involved, and 10 more are good candidates," he said. "What really surprised us was the intensity of the radiation it emitted and how quickly it became an obvious black hole candidate."<br /><br />The team found that the black hole's unusually strong gravitational pull ripped off layers of the star it orbits, drawing them into its maelstrom. "We're not sure why this black hole is letting off occasional bright outbursts of radiation instead of a steady stream," said Beckmann, "But we suspect these powerful emissions are caused by big chunks of the star's matter falling into the black hole."<br /><br />"This d

 

[nexius]

excellent ! i swear they exist

 

[alokmohan]

Dont swear they exist.Whether unicorn exists?Black holes are not yet discovered.It is one thing for which well established principles of physics like newtons theory,Einsteins theory are valid .All you can say is blac holes may exist with some certainity.

 

[alokmohan]

Kip Thorne thinks existence it is in conformity with geneal theory of relativity.So far all predictions of general theoryof relativityhas proved correct.So most probably blackholes exist.

 

[nexius]

yep.. so is this site accurate to what black holes do if blackholes are real?