Black Holes
Black holes are perhaps the most captivating celestial bodies in the Universe. Nothing, not even light itself, can escape the pull of a black hole. Black holes are formed from the collapse of very massive stars after they have expended all of their fuel. The reason is because the process of nuclear fusion and its by-product, mainly light, actually resists the pull of gravity. Depending on the remaining mass after the core has burned itself up in nuclear fusion, a neutron star or a black hole results. If there isn't much mass remaining, the star is able to withstand the rigors of gravity and became a very small yet very dense neutron star. However, if there is a great deal of mass remaining (something on the order of 2 solar masses), the star cannot withstand gravity and it collapses further to an infinite density. This infinite density, according to Einstein's General Theory of Relativity, actually curves space. cheap homeowners insurance There are three parts to a black hole. The edge or boundary of a black hole is known as the event horizon. Any matter or light that passes beyond the event horizon disappears from the visible universe. Along the event horizon may be a visible disk of luminous material called an accretion disk. This could be matter being sucked in or what was left of some unfortunate encounter. Inside the black hole is the singularity. Here, the density is infinite and gravity and time behave strangely. All the physical laws that we take for granted on the surface of the earth are completely reversed and turned inside out at the singularity. However, we really don't know all that much about black holes. The only way we can detect them is through the use of X-rays or by observing shifts of energy generated by matter in the accretion disk. For more information on black holes, consult the following links:
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