For science fiction lovers, one phenomenon that seems to always appear in a series story line is the infamous black hole. Black holes while consistently used in science fiction movies, TV series, books, etc are real. While many people including scientists have trouble fathoming the incredible energy black holes have, these still little known phenomenons are slowly becoming more and more understood.
The Phenomenon of the Black Hole
A black hole is usually defined as an area of space in which the gravitational pull is so strong, nothing can escape its grasp- including light, making these regions pitch black. Many science fiction fans might be wondering if nothing can escape from a black hole and the hole itself is invisible, how do we know where black holes are? The less complicated answer to this question is that even though black holes are invisible and hold everything in their grasp, the surrounding area of a black hole does hint to their existence in the form of radiation, as well as being able to be tracked using the stars as a background.
What Causes a Black Hole?
A black hole is an incredibly powerful phenomenon, basically beyond our comprehension, however it is believed that black holes originate from large stars that collapse on themselves. There are several types of black holes and black holes do vary in size. However, the strongest and most powerful black holes are called supermassive black holes- they exert the most energy and have the strongest grasp on the surrounding objects.
For a long time, it was believed that the phenomena of black holes were not found in our galaxy, however for several decades more and more evidence has suggested that there is in fact a black hole located in the center of our galaxy (the Milky Way). This new information has excited scientists and astronomers due to the fact that being so close; they can be studied more easily.
If you are intrigued by black holes and the science surrounding them, Smithsonian Magazine offers an incredibly fascinating article about black holes. To read our article, please visit our main website at the following link: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/
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