Black Holes

Sam Bennett

Definition
A black hole is a place in space where gravity pulls so much that even light can
not get out. The gravity is so strong because matter has been squeezed into a tiny
space. This can happen when a star is dying.
Because no light can get out, people can't see black holes. They are invisible.
Space telescopes with special tools can help find black holes. The special tools
can see how stars that are very close to black holes act differently than other
stars. (Nasa.gov)

Their sizes
Black holes can be the size of one single atom or 20 times as big as the sun
(Stellar)
The largest black holes are called supermassive black holes which are more than
1 million suns together.

How they are made

Nasa.gov states theorises that the smallest of black holes developed when the
universe began.
Stellar black holes are created when a big stars center falls in upon itself, this
causes a supernova that blasts the star into space.
Supermassive black holes are also theorized to have been created the same time
their galaxy.

How we study them

Being invisible because of the intense gravity that keeps light from escaping they
are difficult to locate but very possible with the right equipment.
Scientist use telescopes and see how the strong gravity effects gasses and stars
around the black hole.
When a star is close to a black hole high-energy light is made which cannot be
seen with the naked eye.

The dangers on earth

Earth will not be swallowed by a black hole. Black holes dont go across the
universe eating everything in their path.
If the sun was replaced with a black hole the same mass as the sun, earth and all
the other planets would not get sucked in, they instead would keep orbiting the
black hole just as they did the sun.

What if a person was engulfed by a black hole?

A very unlikely question but first off the closer you got the more darkness would
envelope your field of view
Time would slow down the closer you found yourself
You would begin to experience spaghettification which would stretch you out into a
long thin stringlike object
Once you passed the Event Horizon or Point of No Return there is no possible
way you could escape and you would be stuck being pulled into the black hole for
the rest of your life due to the warping and slowing of time (theorising you werent
already dead by spaghettification)

Interesting Facts
The Milky Way is likely orbiting a black hole
The closer you get to a black hole the slower time goes
If anything passes the point of no return (Event Horizon) it is impossible to escape
First candidate black hole was found in 1964 called Cygnus X-1
Black holes do not emit radiation themselves

Composition of Black Holes

Definitions of the composition of black holes

Singularity- The center of a black hole is a gravitational singularity, a onedimensional point which contains a huge mass in an infinitely small space.
Event Horizon- The defined border of a black hole where nothing can escape or be
seen.
Accretion Disk- Gas, dust, and other materials orbiting the black hole at
tremendous speeds which can be seen because they give off heat and light from
smashing with other particles at tremendous speeds.
Space-Time Curvature- Light, time, and other materials/objects being affected and
warped by the immense mass of a black hole.

Bibliography
http://space-facts.com/black-holes/
www.Nasa.gov
www.pbs.org