Posted on 05/05/2015 8:02:12 AM PDT by BenLurkin
A lone black hole is, unsurprisingly, black.
For a more dramatic view, though, zip on over to the Milky Way's centre, the home of a supermassive black hole nearly four million times more massive than the Sun. The black hole's gravity has gathered lots of gas and dust, which has accumulated into a disc that's spiralling into the hole – circling the drain, so to speak. As the material gets consumed, friction heats it up to billions of degrees, producing lots of radiation, and outflows of energy and charged particles.
The hot disc would be quite a sight. As for the black hole itself, you wouldn't be able to see it directly, as it's enshrouded in gas and dust. But, you can see how the black hole's gravity bends and warps rays of light around it, creating a visual imprint in the surrounding material called the black hole's shadow. The gravity warps the image of the shadow itself, making it appear about five times bigger than the black hole.
Normally, we think of light travelling in straight beams – photons zooming inexorably forward. But near a black hole, the powerful gravity tugs on photons, swinging them around the hole into orbits. Some of those photons manage to escape and reach your eyes (or telescope), and what you'd see is a bright ring bordering the shadow.
Meanwhile, the inner part of the disc of material swirls around the black hole at speeds approaching that of light. According to Einstein's theory of relativity, a light source will appear brighter if it's hurtling toward you. If you're looking at the black hole such that the disc is somewhat edge-on, the part of the disc that's moving toward you will glow much brighter, producing a bright crescent on that side of the black hole.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.com ...
What would you see in a black hole?
All the money our government spends!
Roids and raisins?
What would you see in a black hole?
Whatever is left of Ferguson (or Baltimore, or any Dem controlled area).
Pink.
Obama’s Birth Certificate?
Then again if time in a black hole is brought to a standstill maybe you would spend an eternity dying.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.