What is a black hole?
Solution
A black hole is a region in space where the pulling force of gravity is so strong that light is not able to escape. The strong gravity occurs because matter has been pressed into a tiny space. This compression can take place at the end of a star's life. Some black holes are a result of dying stars.
Because no light can escape, black holes are invisible. However, space telescopes with special instruments can help find black holes. They can observe the behavior of material and stars that are very close to black holes.
Here are the steps of how a black hole is formed:
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A star burns for billions of years, converting hydrogen into helium in a nuclear reaction which releases energy in the form of light and heat.
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Once the hydrogen fuel is exhausted, the star begins to collapse under its own gravity.
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As the star collapses, it heats up and starts burning helium, converting it into heavier elements such as carbon and oxygen. This process continues, with the star burning heavier and heavier elements until iron is produced.
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Iron cannot be used for nuclear fuel, and once a sufficient amount of iron accumulates at the core of the star, the nuclear reactions stop.
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Without the outward pressure generated by these reactions to counterbalance the force of gravity pulling everything inwards, the star collapses under its own weight.
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If the star is massive enough, this collapse will continue until all the matter is condensed into an infinitely small, infinitely dense point known as a singularity, which is surrounded by an event horizon from which nothing, not even light, can escape. This is a black hole.
Similar Questions
The ‘Black Hole’ theory waspropounded by
f-century. A black hole is a region of space where the force of gravity is especially strong and gravitational potential energy U is very large. Analogous to the electrostatic potential energy associated with electrical charges, U is defined as the work required to move an object of mass m from an infinite distance to a point at radial distance r within the gravitational field of a second mass M as given byU=−GMmr𝑈=-𝐺𝑀𝑚𝑟Equation 1where G is the gravitational constant. Near a black hole, the gravitational potential energy can become so negative that not even light has enough energy to escape the black hole's gravity.Escape velocity can be determined by launching an object of mass m with velocity v to an infinite radial distance from the surface of a central mass M (eg, a star or a planet) with radius R. For a black hole to exist, the escape velocity must be equal to the speed of light.Scientists have thoroughly studied the physics of black holes. Stars near the center of our galaxy have been observed to orbit an extremely massive, invisible object (millions of times more massive than our Sun) that is almost certainly a black hole. The orbital angular velocity ω of a star is defined asω=360°⋅f𝜔=360°⋅𝑓Equation 2where f is the frequency of rotation in hertz (Hz). Likewise, black holes are not merely static masses but are often observed to rotate about their own axis. The interaction between the rotation of a black hole and matter falling into the hole is suspected to form powerful beams (jets) of ionized matter that project away from the black hole along its axis of rotation. Nevertheless, many aspects of how these jets are formed remains a mystery. Black holes will remain a fruitful area for research far into the future. Question 13An object is launched with a one-time burst of propulsion away from the surface of the Moon. After the burst, which of the following best describes the changes that occur as the object moves away from the Moon's surface?A.The object mass is dissipated as heat.B.Potential energy is converted into kinetic energy.C.Kinetic energy is converted into potential energy.D.Total mechanical energy is not conserved.Submit
What happens to matter and light that falls into a black hole, and what are some of the theories about the interior of a black hole?
The ‘Black Hole’ theory waspropounded by [UPPCS (Mains) 2016UPPCS (Pre) 1996](A) C.V. Raman(B) H.J. Bhabha(C) S. Chandrashekhar(D) Hargovind Khurana8. A ‘black hole’ is a body in spacewhich does not allow any typeof radiation to come out. Thisproperty is due to its [IAS (Pre) 2000](A) Very small size(B) Very large size(C) High density(D) Very low density9. The terms ‘Event Horizon’,‘Singularity’, ‘String Theory’ and‘Standard Model’ are sometimesseen in the news in the context of[IAS (Pre) 2017](A) Observation and understandingof the Universe(B) Study of the solar and the lunareclipses(C) Placing satellites in the orbit ofthe Earth(D) Origin and evolution of livingorganisms on the Earth10. ‘Super Nova’ is[UP Lower Sub. (Mains) 2015](A) An asteroid (B) A black hole(C) A comet (D) A dyning star11. How many constellations are in ourSpace? [44th BPSC (Pre) 2000](A) 87 (B) 88(C) 89 (D) 9012. Which one of the following is not anAstronomical object?[UPPCS (Pre) 1996IAS (Pre) 1993](A) Pulsar (B) Brittle star(C) Black hole (D) Quasar13. A group of stars arranged in aparticular shape, is called[UPPCS (Pre) 2013](A) Milky Way (B) Constellation(C) Andromeda (D) Solar system
Black holes appear black for what basic reason?They appear in starless, dark areas of the Milky Way.They "shine" by blackbody radiation and are easily detected. They are invisible and can never be detected by astronomers.Light cannot escape them.
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