aka looks like a black hole lol

I am not trying to belittle anyone or make anyone feel stupid, by the way. I just think that this subforum could use a thread where general science questions can be asked. Eventually, another thread can be created with resources and other sites to get reliable information. Wonder is the seed of knowledge, and anyone can tell you that many of the theories we accept today were considered crazy when they were brought to the scientific community (see what i did there? :P). However, these people who essentially invented new ways of thinking had VAST amounts of knowledge and IMMENSE amounts of understanding of the previous theories and the shortfalls they have.

A theory is called such because it explains experimental data extremely well. For example, Newtons Theory of Gravity was called such because it enabled extremely precise PREDICTIONS about the future of a baseball thrown by a pitcher, or a ball rolling down an incline, but it doesnt explain the elipitcal orbits of planets. Thats where someone like takes previously known theories, such as Newtons ToG and Maxwell's E&M equations, and provides a new insight and way of thinking about the problem. This is then measured, tested, tested, and tested again.

Actually... A black hole looks like a hole in the middle of space with galaxies and stars bending around it. Obviously not that, well, obvious, but we can see black holes through the mechanic of gravitational lensing.

Its hard to visualize not only space bending, but time bending as well (by bending, I mean the geodesic is not a straight line). And mathematically, in a black hole, the time and space components are "swapped," where your time component no longer depends on t but rather r, the distance you are from the center of the hole. So once one passes the event horizon, the only way to progress "time" is to move inward towards the center. Unfortunatly, if I remember correctly it would happen pretty fast and tidal forces would tear you apart before anything could be realized.

Keep in mind, when one falls into a black hole, they dont know when they pass the event horizon. Only an observer OUTSIDE the system can see that they have essentially "frozen in time." (There are some Susskind and Hawking debates about what happens to the information when it passes the event horizon, but I have not reserached it.

>A black hole looks like a hole in the middle of space...
Stopped reading there.

An example of the lensing. Black hole is sans the star.

How does that warped light have any pertinence to what a blackhole looks like?
That's like pixelating a photograph and saying that's what an apple looks like.

/e

Any light that comes in contact with a blackhole is infinitely lost.
If anything, that image is more of a veil as to what a blackhole looks like, rather than a clarification.

This post was edited by Immortal0 on Oct 11 2013 08:37pm

black holes bend the "lines" of space, if you will (technically geodesics), that light travels in. many large bodied objects do, such as our own sun.

gravitational lensing is a way to detect black holes. as well as observing red/blue shifting of light escaping the pull of the gravitational field (say it swings close and slingshots a different direction).

In a sense, you are right. We dont technically "see" a black hole. But there can be observations made that can suggest one is there.

This post was edited by khemist on Oct 11 2013 08:46pm

Isn't a block hole increasing in mass? therefore light would turn into matter.
Additionally you should read about hawkings radiation

Its funny how ppl start making up stuff about blackholes and try sounding smart in the process...

The most intelligent and informed physicists of our time are still questioned by what will happen to an object when it is completely consumed by a blackhole.

In addition, noone knows whats inside a blackhole for certain so im wondering what makes u ppl think u know the answers...