Are there black holes in space. What's inside a black hole? How does matter get into a wormhole?

A black hole is a special region in space. This is a kind of accumulation of black matter, capable of drawing in and absorbing other objects of space. The phenomenon of black holes is still not . All available data are just theories and assumptions of scientific astronomers.

The name "black hole" was introduced by the scientist J.A. Wheeler in 1968 at Princeton University.

There is a theory that black holes are stars, but unusual, like neutron ones. A black hole is - - because it has a very high luminosity density and sends absolutely no radiation. Therefore, it is invisible neither in infrared, nor in x-rays, nor in radio rays.

This situation French astronomer P. Laplace still 150 years before black holes. According to his arguments, if it has a density equal to the density of the Earth, and a diameter exceeding the diameter of the Sun by 250 times, then it does not allow the rays of light to propagate through the Universe due to its gravity, and therefore remains invisible. Thus, it is assumed that black holes are the most powerful radiating objects in the universe, but they do not have a solid surface.

Properties of black holes

All alleged properties of black holes are based on the theory of relativity, derived in the 20th century by A. Einstein. Any traditional approach to the study of this phenomenon does not provide any convincing explanation for the phenomenon of black holes.

The main property of a black hole is the ability to bend time and space. Any moving object that has fallen into its gravitational field will inevitably be drawn inward, because. in this case, a dense gravitational vortex, a kind of funnel, appears around the object. At the same time, the concept of time is also transformed. Scientists, by calculation, still tend to conclude that black holes are not celestial bodies in the conventional sense. These are really some kind of holes, wormholes in time and space, capable of changing and compacting it.

Black hole - enclosed area space into which matter is compressed and from which nothing can escape, not even light.

According to the calculations of astronomers, with the powerful gravitational field that exists inside black holes, not a single object can remain unharmed. It will instantly be torn into billions of pieces before it even gets inside. However, this does not exclude the possibility of exchanging particles and information with their help. And if a black hole has a mass at least a billion times the mass of the Sun (supermassive), then it is theoretically possible for objects to move through it without being torn apart by gravity.

Of course, these are only theories, because the research of scientists is still too far from understanding what processes and possibilities hide black holes. It is possible that something similar could happen in the future.

Black holes are one of the most amazing and at the same time frightening objects in our Universe. They arise at the moment when stars with a huge mass run out of nuclear fuel. Nuclear reactions stop and the stars begin to cool down. The body of a star shrinks under the influence of gravity and gradually it begins to attract smaller objects towards itself, transforming into a black hole.

First studies

The luminaries of science began to study black holes not so long ago, despite the fact that the basic concepts of their existence were developed in the last century. The very concept of a "black hole" was introduced in 1967 by J. Wheeler, although the conclusion that these objects inevitably arise during the collapse of massive stars was made back in the 30s of the last century. Everything inside the black hole - asteroids, light, comets absorbed by it - once approached too close to the boundaries of this mysterious object and failed to leave them.

Black hole borders

The first of the boundaries of a black hole is called the static limit. This is the boundary of the region, falling into which a foreign object can no longer be at rest and begins to rotate relative to the black hole in order to keep from falling into it. The second boundary is called the event horizon. Everything inside the black hole once passed its outer boundary and moved towards the point of singularity. According to scientists, here the substance flows into this center point, whose density tends to the value of infinity. People cannot know what laws of physics operate inside objects with such a density, and therefore it is impossible to describe the characteristics of this place. AT literally In other words, it is a "black hole" (or, perhaps, a "gap") in mankind's knowledge of the world around us.

The structure of black holes

The event horizon is called impregnable border black hole. Inside this border there is a zone that even objects whose speed of movement is equal to the speed of light cannot leave. Even quanta of light itself cannot leave the event horizon. Being at this point, no object can escape from the black hole. By definition, we cannot know what is inside a black hole - after all, in its depths there is a so-called singularity point, which is formed due to the ultimate compression of matter. Once an object enters the event horizon, from that point on it can never break out of it again and become visible to observers. On the other hand, those who are inside black holes cannot see anything that is happening outside.

The size of the event horizon surrounding this mysterious cosmic object is always directly proportional to the mass of the hole itself. If its mass is doubled, then the outer boundary will also be twice as large. If scientists could find a way to turn the Earth into a black hole, the event horizon would be only 2 cm across.

Main categories

As a rule, the mass of average black holes is approximately equal to three solar masses or more. Of the two types of black holes, stellar and supermassive ones are distinguished. Their mass exceeds the mass of the Sun by several hundred thousand times. Stars are formed after the death of large heavenly bodies. Ordinary-mass black holes appear after completion life cycle big stars. Both types of black holes, despite various origins, have similar properties. Supermassive black holes are located at the centers of galaxies. Scientists suggest that they were formed during the formation of galaxies due to the merger of closely adjacent stars. However, these are only guesses, not confirmed by facts.

What's inside a black hole: conjectures

Some mathematicians believe that inside these mysterious objects of the Universe there are so-called wormholes - transitions to other Universes. In other words, a space-time tunnel is located at the singularity point. This concept has served many writers and directors. However, the vast majority of astronomers believe that there are no tunnels between universes. However, even if they really were, there is no way for a person to know what is inside a black hole.

There is another concept, according to which there is a white hole at the opposite end of such a tunnel, from where a gigantic amount of energy comes from our Universe to another world through black holes. However, at this stage in the development of science and technology, travel of this kind is out of the question.

Connection with the theory of relativity

Black holes are one of the most amazing predictions of A. Einstein. It is known that the gravitational force that is created on the surface of any planet is inversely proportional to the square of its radius and directly proportional to its mass. For this celestial body one can define the concept of the second cosmic velocity, which is necessary to overcome this gravitational force. For the Earth it is equal to 11 km/sec. If the mass of the celestial body increases, and the diameter, on the contrary, decreases, then the second cosmic velocity may eventually exceed the speed of light. And since, according to the theory of relativity, no object can move faster speed light, then an object is formed that does not allow anything to break out of its limits.

In 1963, scientists discovered quasars - space objects that are giant sources of radio emission. They are located very far from our galaxy - their remoteness is billions of light years from Earth. To explain the extremely high activity of quasars, scientists have introduced the hypothesis that black holes are located inside them. This view is now generally accepted in scientific circles. Studies that have been carried out over the past 50 years have not only confirmed this hypothesis, but also led scientists to the conclusion that there are black holes in the center of every galaxy. There is also such an object in the center of our galaxy, its mass is 4 million solar masses. This black hole is called Sagittarius A, and because it is closest to us, it is the one most studied by astronomers.

Hawking radiation

This type of radiation, discovered by the famous physicist Stephen Hawking, greatly complicates the life of modern scientists - because of this discovery, many difficulties have appeared in the theory of black holes. In classical physics there is the concept of vacuum. This word denotes complete emptiness and the absence of matter. However, with the development of quantum physics, the concept of vacuum has been modified. Scientists have found that it is filled with so-called virtual particles - under the influence of a strong field, they can turn into real ones. In 1974, Hawking found that such transformations can occur in the strong gravitational field of a black hole - near its outer boundary, the event horizon. Such a birth is paired - a particle and an antiparticle appear. As a rule, the antiparticle is doomed to fall into the black hole, and the particle flies away. As a result, scientists observe some radiation around these space objects. It is called Hawking radiation.

During this radiation, the matter inside the black hole slowly evaporates. The hole loses mass, while the radiation intensity is inversely proportional to the square of its mass. The intensity of Hawking radiation is negligible by cosmic standards. If we assume that there is a hole with a mass of 10 suns, and neither light nor any material objects fall on it, then even in this case the time for its decay will be monstrously long. The life of such a hole will exceed the entire lifetime of our Universe by 65 orders of magnitude.

The question of saving information

One of the main problems that appeared after the discovery of Hawking radiation is the problem of information loss. It is connected with a question that seems very simple at first glance: what happens when the black hole evaporates completely? Both theories are the quantum physics, and classical - deal with the description of the state of the system. Having information about the initial state of the system, with the help of the theory it is possible to describe how it will change.

At the same time, in the process of evolution, information about the initial state is not lost - a kind of law on the conservation of information operates. But if the black hole evaporates completely, then the observer loses information about that part physical world that once fell into a hole. Stephen Hawking believed that information about the initial state of the system is somehow restored after the black hole has completely evaporated. But the difficulty lies in the fact that, by definition, the transmission of information from a black hole is impossible - nothing can leave the event horizon.

What happens if you fall into a black hole?

It is believed that if in some incredible way a person could get to the surface of a black hole, then it would immediately begin to drag him in the direction of itself. Eventually, the person would stretch out so much that they would become a stream of subatomic particles moving towards the point of singularity. Of course, it is impossible to prove this hypothesis, because scientists are unlikely to ever know what happens inside black holes. Now some physicists say that if a person fell into a black hole, then he would have a clone. The first of his versions would be immediately destroyed by a stream of hot particles of Hawking radiation, and the second would pass through the event horizon without the possibility of returning back.

Black holes are one of the strangest phenomena in the universe. In any case, at this stage of human development. This is an object with infinite mass and density, and hence attraction, beyond which even light cannot escape - therefore the hole is black. A supermassive black hole can pull an entire galaxy into itself and not choke, and beyond the event horizon, familiar physics begins to squeal and twist into a knot. On the other hand, black holes can become potential transition "burrows" from one node of space to another. The question is, how close can we get to a black hole, and will it be fraught with consequences?

The supermassive black hole Sagittarius A*, located at the center of our galaxy, not only sucks nearby objects, but also throws out powerful radio emission. Scientists have long tried to see these rays, but they were interfered with by the scattered light surrounding the hole. Finally, they were able to break through the light noise with 13 telescopes that combined into a single powerful system. Subsequently, they discovered interesting information about previously mysterious rays.

The other day, Stephen Hawking stirred up the scientific community by declaring that black holes do not exist. Rather, they are not at all what was previously thought.

According to the researcher (who is described in the work “Information Preservation and Weather Predictions for Black Holes”), what we call black holes can exist without the so-called “event horizon”, beyond which nothing can escape. Hawking believes that black holes hold light and information only for a while, and then "spit" back into space, however, in a fairly distorted form.

Bye science community digests new theory, we decided to remind our reader of what have been considered "black hole facts" until now. So, until now it was believed that:

Black holes got their name because they suck in light that touches its boundaries and does not reflect it.

Formed at the moment when a sufficiently compressed mass of matter deforms space and time, a black hole has a certain surface, called the "event horizon", which marks the point of no return.

Clocks run slower close to sea level than at space station, and even slower near black holes. It has something to do with gravity.

The nearest black hole is about 1600 light-years away.

Our galaxy is littered with black holes, but the closest one theoretically capable of destroying our modest planet is far beyond our solar system.

A huge black hole is at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

It is located at a distance of 30 thousand light years from Earth, and its size is more than 30 million times the size of our Sun.

Black holes eventually evaporate

It is believed that nothing can escape from a black hole. The only exception to this rule is radiation. According to some scientists, as black holes emit radiation, they lose mass. As a result of this process, the black hole may disappear altogether.

Black holes are shaped like spheres, not funnels.

In most textbooks, you will see black holes that look like funnels. This is because they are illustrated from a gravity well perspective. In reality, they are more like a sphere.

Near a black hole everything is distorted

Black holes have the ability to warp space, and because they spin, the distortion gets worse as they spin.

A black hole can kill in a terrible way

While it seems obvious that a black hole is incompatible with life, most people think that they would just be crushed there. Not necessary. You would most likely be stretched to death, because the part of your body that first reached the "event horizon" would be significantly affected. great influence gravity.

Black holes are not always black

Although they are known for their blackness, as we said earlier, they actually radiate electromagnetic waves.

Black holes can not only destroy

Of course, in most cases it is. However, there are numerous theories, studies and suggestions that black holes can indeed be adapted for energy and space travel.

The discovery of black holes does not belong to Albert Einstein

Albert Einstein only revived the theory of black holes in 1916. Long before that, in 1783, a scientist named John Mitchell first developed this theory. This came after he wondered if gravity could become so strong that even light particles could not escape it.

Black holes are buzzing

Although the vacuum in space doesn't really transmit sound waves, if you listen with special instruments, you can hear the sounds of atmospheric interference. When a black hole pulls something in, its event horizon accelerates the particles, up to the speed of light, and they produce a hum.

Black holes can generate the elements necessary for the origin of life

Researchers believe that black holes create elements as they decay into subatomic particles. These particles are capable of creating elements heavier than helium, such as iron and carbon, as well as many others needed to form life.

Black holes not only "swallow", but also "spit out"

Black holes are notorious for sucking up anything near their event horizon. After something falls into a black hole, it is compressed with such monstrous force that the individual components are compressed and eventually disintegrate into subatomic particles. Some scientists suggest that this matter is then ejected from what is called a "white hole".

Any matter can become a black hole

From a technical point of view, not only stars can become black holes. If your car keys were shrunk to an infinitesimal point while retaining their mass, their density would reach astronomical levels and their gravity would increase unbelievably.

The laws of physics fail at the center of a black hole

According to theories, the matter inside a black hole is compressed to an infinite density, and space and time cease to exist. When this happens, the laws of physics break down, simply because the human mind is unable to imagine an object that has zero volume and infinite density.

Black holes determine the number of stars

According to some scientists, the number of stars in the universe is limited by the number of black holes. This is due to how they affect gas clouds and the formation of elements in those parts of the universe where new stars are born.

There is no cosmic phenomenon more mesmerizing in its beauty than black holes. As you know, the object got its name due to the fact that it is able to absorb light, but cannot reflect it. Due to the huge attraction, black holes suck in everything that is near them - planets, stars, space debris. However, this is not all that one should know about black holes, since there are many amazing facts about them.

Black holes have no point of no return

For a long time it was believed that everything that falls into the region of a black hole remains in it, but the result of recent research is that after a while the black hole “spits out” all the contents into space, but in a different form than the original one. The event horizon, which was considered the point of no return for space objects, turned out to be only their temporary refuge, but this process is very slow.

Earth is threatened by a black hole

solar system only part of an infinite galaxy, in which there is a huge number of black holes. It turns out that the Earth is also threatened by two of them, but fortunately, they are located at a great distance - about 1600 light years. They were discovered in a galaxy that was formed as a result of the merger of two galaxies.


Scientists saw black holes only due to the fact that they were close to the solar system with the help of an X-ray telescope, which is able to capture X-rays emitted by these space objects. Black holes, since they are next to each other and practically merge into one, were called by one name - Chandra in honor of the moon god from Hindu mythology. Scientists are confident that Chandra will soon become one due to the huge force of gravity.

Black holes may disappear over time

Sooner or later, all the contents of the black hole escapes and only radiation remains. Losing mass, black holes become smaller over time, and then completely disappear. The death of a space object is very slow and therefore it is unlikely that any of the scientists will be able to see how the black hole decreases, and then disappears. Stephen Hawking argued that a hole in space is a highly compressed planet, and over time it evaporates, starting at the edges of the distortion.

Black holes don't have to look black

Scientists argue that since a space object absorbs light particles into itself without reflecting them, a black hole has no color, only its surface gives out - the event horizon. With its gravitational field, it obscures all space behind it, including planets and stars. But at the same time, due to the absorption of planets and stars on the surface of a black hole in a spiral due to the enormous speed of movement of objects and friction between them, a glow appears, which can be brighter than the stars. This is a collection of gases, stardust and other matter that is sucked in by a black hole. Also, sometimes a black hole can emit electromagnetic waves and therefore can be visible.

Black holes are not created from nowhere, their basis is an extinguished star.

Stars glow in space thanks to their supply of fusion fuel. When it ends, the star begins to cool, gradually turning from a white dwarf to a black one. Inside the cooled star, pressure begins to decrease. Under the influence of gravitational force, the cosmic body begins to shrink. The consequence of this process is that the star explodes, as it were, all its particles fly apart in space, but at the same time, gravitational forces continue to act, attracting neighboring space objects, which are then absorbed by it, increasing the power of the black hole and its size.

Supermassive black hole

A black hole, tens of thousands of times the size of the Sun, is at the very center milky way. Scientists called it Sagittarius and it is located at a distance from the Earth 26,000 light years. This region of the galaxy is extremely active and absorbs everything that is near it with great speed. Also often she "spits out" extinguished stars.


Surprising is the fact that the average density of a black hole, even considering its huge size, can even be equal to the density of air. With an increase in the radius of the black hole, that is, the number of objects captured by it, the density of the black hole becomes smaller and this is explained by simple laws of physics. Thus, the largest bodies in space may actually be as light as air.

Black hole could create new universes

No matter how strange it may sound, especially against the background of the fact that black holes actually absorb and accordingly destroy everything around, scientists are seriously thinking that these space objects can initiate the emergence of a new Universe. So, as you know, black holes not only absorb matter, but can also release it in certain periods. Any particle that came out of a black hole can explode and this will become a new Big Bang, and according to his theory, our Universe appeared that way, therefore it is possible that the solar system that exists today and in which the Earth revolves, inhabited by a huge number of people, was once born from a massive black hole.

Time passes very slowly near a black hole.

When an object comes close to a black hole, no matter what its mass, its movement starts to slow down, and this is because in the black hole itself, time slows down and everything happens very slowly. This is due to the enormous gravitational force that a black hole has. At the same time, what happens in the black hole itself happens quickly enough, because if the observer looked at the black hole from the side, it would seem to him that all the processes taking place in it proceed slowly, but if he got into its funnel, the gravitational forces would instantly tore it apart.

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