What do black holes tell us?

Astronomers believe that supermassive black holes lie at the center of virtually all large galaxies, even our own Milky Way. Astronomers can detect them by watching for their effects on nearby stars and gas. This chart shows the relative masses of super-dense cosmic objects.

How are black holes and dark matter related?

In this theory, the intense gravity of some neutron stars would have continuously attracted particles of dark matter; eventually their gravity would have become so great that the neutron star and dark matter would have collapsed together into a black hole, the new study suggests.

Are black holes made up of dark matter?

For black holes, it’s normal matter or nothing. In fact, based on what we understand about dark matter and the Universe, there’s only one possibility for ever creating a black hole made of dark matter.

What did Einstein say about black hole?

Black holes are regions of spacetime where gravity’s pull is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape from being dragged in and “eaten.” Einstein’s theory of general relativity predicted the existence of black holes and that, no matter what such an object “eats,” black holes are characterized only by their …

Could black holes be made of dark matter?

In theory, much smaller black holes could have formed in the early universe. These so-called primordial black holes would be far more difficult to detect, and they could potentially exist in large enough numbers to make up all dark matter.

What effect does a black hole have on matter?

If a black hole passes through a cloud of interstellar matter, for example, it will draw matter inward in a process known as accretion. A similar process can occur if a normal star passes close to a black hole. In this case, the black hole can tear the star apart as it pulls it toward itself.

What do you think happens to matter in a black hole?

First of all when matter falls into a black hole it has to pass the vent horizon. This is the point where not even light can escape. If the hole is not really large, anything approaching the event horizon will get torn apart by gravitational tidal effects.

Does a black hole have matter in it?

A black hole is no more made of matter than is the gravitational field of the Earth. A black hole is a region of spacetime. It’s mass does not come from matter but from the curvature of spacetime itself.