Black Hole Puts Dent In Space-time

[emad]

A spinning black hole in the constellation Scorpius has created a stable dent in the fabric of spacetime, scientists say.

The dent is the sort of thing predicted by Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. It affects the movement of matter falling into the black hole.

The spacetime-dent is invisible, but scientists deduced its existence after detecting two X-ray frequencies from the black hole that were identical to emissions noted nine years ago. The finding will allow scientists to calculate the black hole's spin, a crucial measurement necessary for describing the object's behavior.


Blinking X-rays


Black holes form when very massive stars runs out of fuel. Their cores implode into a point of infinite density and their outer layers are blown away in a powerful supernova explosion. Within a theoretical boundary called the event horizon, the black hole's gravity is so strong that nothing, including light, can escape.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/space/20060124/sc_space/blackholeputsdentinspacetime

[rock]

1. What? No pictures

of this invisible black hole?

[emad]

2. "It was a bit dark that day and the flash wasn't working....BUT":

?x=380&y=251&sig=HcpwijY_vt98B8bRNGY.Pg--

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. but black holes are never black. since they do rotate, their gravitational

forces whip the surrounding matter (no matter how barren the surrouding space is) speeding it up to speeds approaching the speed of light.
Since this matter is going so fast, it begins to glow, in a well-known phenomena known as Synchrotron Radiation. http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/particles/synchrotron.html

in layman's terms, the particles being sucked into the gravity well do not fall straight in (well, a few do) but take an circular path, going ever faster, until they glow. That glow escapes the gravity well, and presto, the black hole is actually a glowing object.
Since most black holes form in areas with lots of gunk, junk and star matter left over from the supernova, all that matter starts orbiting the gravity well and begins to accellerate and glow really bright.

latest theories also support the idea that black holes actually bleed matter slowly, v e r y s l o w l y, and over millions of years, they will decrease in size, although the word "size" no longer applies since space time is so altered here. The event horizon will eventually get smaller.

- - -

In fact, the only black hole known in science that does NOT glow exists in a closet outside the Oval Office. It contains the ethics, morals and the truth-telling genes of every employee of the White House, the Vice President's office and and Don Rumsfeld's top staff.

[Occulus]

4. Aren't black holes also thought/known to "evaporate" completely? n/t

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. I believe that Dr. Hawkings had another famous bet on the issue.

and he lost, agreeing that black holes can evaporate.

String theory also has a potential explanation of how evaporation works, but that math is way beyond my capacity, although not my hunger to understand it.

[Sequoia]

7. Here ya go!

[Sequoia]

6. My 5th grade daughter did a report on these.

Her teacher was very impressed.

[enlightenment]

8. Okay, historian asking a question . . .

please be nice . . .

Where does all the "stuff" that gets sucked into a black hole go? Does it just get compressed into nothingness? What is nothingness, then? For that matter, where is nothingness?

[rman]

9. It goes inside the black hole

It is not known what exactly happens to it once inside, because the inside of a black hole can not be observed due to the nature of black holes. The escape velocity being higher then the speed of light creates what's called an "event horizon".
Matter is thought to be compressed into near-nothingness, but not exactly nothingness. This is thought to be similar to conditions that existed pre-big-bang.

[enlightenment]

10. Thank you.

I always appreciate it when someone can translate for me.
:hi:

[rman]

11. welcome

:hi:

[jody]

12. Does a black hole's event horizon grow as it absorbs mass over time? n/t

[mainegreen]

13. Yup. Its mass determines the size of the horizon.

And I think it's spin can determine how warped (flattened) it is, but not totally sure on that one. Anyone know?