The Reality of Black Holes

Many of us think of black holes as science fiction.  In many popular science fiction movies and TV series, the black hole is used in a variety of ways including travel, as a weapon and even as an energy source.  With sci-fi using the black hole liberally, it comes as a surprise to many just how real this phenomenon is.

Black holes are areas in space with an incredible gravitational field.  In fact, the pull of this gravitational field is so strong- not even light can escape.  Black holes are considered to be one of the most powerful phenomena in the universe and for the better part of our century it was thought that our galaxy (the Milky Way) was void of this powerful feature.  However, recent data has proven that our galaxy has a black hole of its own.

With a black hole in our galaxy, interest has definitely piqued quite a few scientists and astronomers.  Black holes while theoretically mused about are still a big mystery.  With new technological innovations and many theories coming to the forefront, there are many questions being asked and much research that must be done.

For those interested in black holes, Smithsonian Magazine has a fascinating article on the subject.  You can read it today by visiting our site at the following link:  http://www.smithsonianmag.com

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Mysterious Black Holes

The concept of black holes has intrigued many science fiction writers and enthusiasts for decades. The idea that a black hole has so much gravitational force that it sucks up everything in its vicinity including all kinds of matter and even light makes it one of the most popular sci-fi concepts in modern books and movies. However, even though black holes are used in plots that are pure fantasy, it should be noted that many scientists are conducting much research about this astronomical phenomenon and its true nature.

One of the most interesting concepts regarding black holes is that there usually is one in the center of every galaxy. While practically every galaxy that was viewed by astronomers showed evidence of a black hole, our own Milky Way galaxy seemed lacking this quality. Our galaxy seemed quite peaceful avoiding strong signs that there was a huge black hole sucking everything in sight with its powerful gravitational force.

However, with careful research and extremely powerful telescopes, an enormous black hole was finally confirmed in 2002. For science and science fiction lovers, this startling revelation makes our own galaxy infinitely much more interesting.

Smithsonian Magazine offers astronomy lovers quite a tour of the black holes in the center of our galaxy as well as interesting features of black holes in general. With so much research done on black holes in recent years, this article should not be missed. Visit the black hole today at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com

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Black Holes: A Cavity at the Center of Our Galaxy

Black holes are one of science fiction lovers’ favorite concepts. Massively powerful, un-seeable spaces that sucks everything --light, matter, gas-- into them like milk through a straw. Fascinating. And the more that astronomers learn about black holes and how they affect our galaxies, the more fascinating they become.

Galaxies and Black Holes
You may imagine that black holes mostly live in the cold-and-empty edges of space. But in fact, black holes are the center of everything. Astronomers have discovered that every major galaxy has a black hole at its center. And while it’s not possible to study black holes sitting somewhere in the cold reaches of space, it is possible to study nearby galaxies-- and the way that black holes affect them. This is the closest scientists have ever gotten to understanding how these mind-bogglingly powerful entities wreak havoc on the space around them.

Our Very Own Black Hole
By studying other galaxies, astronomers were able to determine that supermassive black holes were galaxy-centers. But what about our own Milky Way galaxy? If our galaxy had a black hole of its own, it was a quiet one, not making the huge displays of energy seen by the black holes at the center of other galaxies. With its narrow viewing angle and the thick clouds of dust that gave our galaxy its name, even the massively powerful Hubble telescope wasn’t able to see into the center of the Milky Way.

But astronomers were determined, and in 2002 were able to convince even the most doubtful of the presence of a massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way. They did this by super-sharpening photos that tracked the paths of stars at the center of the galaxy. They found that these stars were extremely close to the center of the galaxy, and moving at 20 million miles per hour-- an incredible speed for a star. Black holes were the only answer.

Though they’ve been unable to so far, astronomers hope to soon be able to produce an image of our galaxy’s supermassive black hole by using millimeter wave telescopes. They may have an image of this cavity of space --only ten times the size of our sun but four million times the mass-- in the next ten years.

Already, astronomers are learning some amazing and startling things about how black holes work. One of the most astonishing was the discovery of a huge number of massive young stars which form close to black holes. Where other stars in the galaxy form in calm parts of space, these young stars have inexplicably formed within close reach of massive, super-powerful black holes.

Scientists are learning more and more about black holes every day. To read more about these massive black holes and how they move entire galaxies around them, visit the Smithsonian Magazine website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/