“The reason we can see that is because that black hole is warping space, bending light and twisting magnetic fields around itself,” Wilkins explained.
It is another strange characteristic of the black hole, however, that makes this observation possible. “Any light that goes into that black hole doesn’t come out, so we shouldn’t be able to see anything that’s behind the black hole,” said Wilkins, who is a research scientist at the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology at Stanford and SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. (Image credit: Dan Wilkins)Īccording to theory, these luminous echoes were consistent with X-rays reflected from behind the black hole – but even a basic understanding of black holes tells us that is a strange place for light to come from. The flares echoed off of the gas falling into the black hole, and as the flares were subsiding, short flashes of X-rays were seen – corresponding to the reflection of the flares from the far side of the disk, bent around the black hole by its strong gravitational field. Write a letter telling your friends and family about the planet you have discovered on the other side of the black hole.Researchers observed bright flares of X-ray emissions, produced as gas falls into a supermassive black hole. It's going to be a while before you can get back to Earth, but you can send mail home. Thankfully, the planet is inhabited by friendly locals. The good news is that the black hole was just an opening for you and your crew to enter into another universe. The bad news is that your space ship ran out of fuel near a black hole and you were unable to escape the black hole's gravitational pull. Some people think that a black hole could be a door to another universe.
Let your imagination run wild, and then get ready to put your thoughts into words. Take some time to dream about what it would be like to see a star become a black hole.Does it look how you expected? What do you still WONDER about black holes? Do you think humans will ever fully understand these objects? Discuss with a friend or family member. Check out the first photograph ever taken of a black hole.Make sure an adult helps you, and check the supply list before getting started. What are we talking about? Gravity, of course! Check out the Defying Gravity Experiment online. But you can experience one of the forces associated with black holes up close and personal right here on Earth. Black holes are way too far out in space to be seen with the naked eye.Ready to keep learning? Try out the activities below with help from a grown-up! Experts hope to keep learning more about these objects in the future.Īre you curious about outer space? Do you dream of learning all there is to know about black holes? There’s certainly plenty left to learn! Maybe you’ll one day unlock new secrets of this mysterious part of our universe. In 2019, a team of scientists even took the first ever photograph of a black hole. Organizations like NASA collect information about black holes using satellites and telescopes. Today, though, experts have made great strides in learning more about them. However, other objects will orbit the black hole instead, much like the Earth does around the Sun.įor most of human history, black holes have been some of the most mysterious objects in outer space. It’s true that the intense gravity can cause objects to fall into the black hole. Nothing can escape its pull-not even light!ĭoes that mean a black hole is like a big vacuum in space? Does it pull surrounding objects into its center and then swallow them? No, not exactly. This mass gives the black hole very strong gravity. And it’s not empty! It is a huge amount of mass packed into a tiny space-a point at the center of the black hole, called a singularity.
Eventually, the star is squeezed into a tiny space-even smaller than an atom-and a black hole is born.Ī black hole is not really a hole. Pressure from the star’s hydrogen layers force it to become smaller. It begins to collapse into its own intense gravity. When one runs out of fuel, it can no longer support its heavy weight. Or perhaps you’re fascinated by one of the most mysterious objects in outer space-the black hole.īlack holes form from enormous stars more than three times the size of our Sun. Are you curious about other planets? How about faraway galaxies? Maybe you stare at the night sky WONDERing if there’s someone looking back.
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