How do black holes differ from each other?

Black holes differ from each other in mass and their spin. Other than that, they are all very similar. The black holes we know about tend to fit into two size categories: “stellar” size are around the mass of one star while “supermassive” are the mass of several millions of stars.

What makes black holes unique?

Black holes are some of the strangest and most fascinating objects in outer space. They’re extremely dense, with such strong gravitational attraction that even light cannot escape their grasp if it comes near enough.

How is a black hole different from a neutron star?

Black holes are astronomical objects that have such strong gravity, not even light can escape. Neutron stars are dead stars that are incredibly dense. Both objects are cosmological monsters, but black holes are considerably more massive than neutron stars.

What is the difference between black holes and wormholes?

Wormholes fold space and time and create a bridge between two distant points. Black holes and wormholes are similar, except for one thing: where a wormhole creates a bridge between two points, a black hole leads to a dead end. This dead end is called a singularity.

Can a black hole consume another black hole?

It is possible for two black holes to collide. Once they come so close that they cannot escape each other’s gravity, they will merge to become one bigger black hole. However, we do know that a black hole merger would produce tremendous energy and send massive ripples through the space-time fabric of the Universe.

What are some common misconceptions about black holes?

Here are some common misconceptions. We tend to imagine black holes as black spheres in the middle of space. But not all black holes fit this description, because light can still be emitted from the region outside the event horizon. GLOSSARY quasars a massive celestial object that emits huge amounts of energy.

How much space do black holes take up?

A black hole takes up zero space, but does have mass — originally, most of the mass that used to be a star. And black holes get “bigger” (technically, more massive) as they consume matter near them.

What happens to light emitted from objects near a black hole?

GLOSSARY red shifting light waves emitted by an object in a region of strong gravity gets stretched. As an object’s light comes towards us from near a black hole, it will become red (which is more ‘stretched’ than other colours), and the object will eventually disappear from view.

Can you travel to the future through a black hole?

Using the gravity near black holes to travel into the future isn’t the same idea as entering a black hole and using it as a wormhole. As we hope to make clear throughout this topic, passing the event horizon of a black hole would be a very bad idea.