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That is very interesting Carol. I do have a few questions about black holes. How do they form? Also where do they go? Do they lead into another universe or is that just a myth?[/b]
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Hope you don't mind me opening this up again. I have a keen intrest in this area of physics.
They simple form because of gravity.
When a very large star explodes (supernova) the pressure that kept it up is reduced so gravity becomes the stronger force and starts to collaps the star. But the trick is it pull it's matter closer to the center. As the collaps continues the gravitational gradient becomes stronger because you are making the star more dense. Anything, and this is hypothetical, on the surface of the star will have a harder time getting off. The gravity keep increasing making the star more dense, the denser it gets the more the gravity increases. You can see the loop here.
It will eventually get so small and dense the even light itself will not be able to break free and will only turn in on itself.
Matter will spiral into the black hole, as it does it will form an accretion disk (the Saturn thing). Matter going in will become so energetic it will even emit large levels of X-rays. In fact this is how black holes are found. Consentrated points of high X-ray energy in space.
In fact one famous comes to mind, Cygnus X-1. In the constellation of Cygnus (The Swan).
As matter gets closer it eventually crosses a point of no return. This is the Event Horizon or Swartzchild radius. At this point what ever went in can never get back out *. The gravitational gradient is too strong.
Whether they lead to other universes is totally unknown. That is assuming there are other Universes.
Make no difference anyway. Information can not come back out.
This is that when you cross the event horizon. The gravitational force and density become so great that space and time itself are affected to such a degree that all common sense and mathematics totally break down.
*There is a new theory (Hawking Radiation) which he thinks that protons may escape. In which the black hole would eventually 'evaporate'. However, if one considers the rate of 'evaporation' it would take almost an infinity to render the black hole to zero.
These things are truly mysterious and fascinating.