On April 10th, 2019, the European Commission and the Event Horizon Telescope unveiled the first-ever image of a supermassive black hole in the distant Galaxy M87, located 53 million light years away. This groundbreaking discovery confirmed the existence of black holes and provided a more precise measurement of their mass, aligning with Einstein's theory of relativity. The unveiling marked a significant milestone in our understanding of black holes, celestial entities born from massive star explosions and exhibiting immense gravitational forces, preventing even light from escaping. Black holes vary in size, from stellar black holes a few times the sun's mass to supermassive ones millions or billions of times heavier. They are born from collapsing massive stars and play a crucial role in the cosmos' structure. Additionally, there's a mysterious form of matter called dark matter that doesn't interact with light but influences the universe's structure and might be related to black holes, although the specifics are still unclear. Lastly, Hawking radiation, theorized by Stephen Hawking, suggests that black holes can emit particles and gradually lose mass, challenging the earlier notion that nothing escapes their grasp.
1. On April 10th 2019, the European Commission together with the Event Horizon Telescope unveiled a never-before-seen site from the universe. This site is a staggering 53 million light years away, and it is the heart of the distant Galaxy M87. This is the first image of a supermassive black hole, providing solid proof of this celestial entity which until then were only a concept .
2. The shape of a black hole is round, exactly as forecasted by Einstein's theory of relativity. Long ago, it was not known if black holes would be common in the centers of galaxies .
3. With the help of the Hubble telescope, every galaxy we've had the capacity to check has revealed a black hole to us. Thus, we will extrapolate and assert that a black hole is a natural phenomenon in the center of all galaxies .
4. Black holes are extraordinary cosmic events that are born out of massive explosions. Their mass is concentrated into such a tiny space which creates gravitational forces of immense strength .
5. Black holes can vary in type, each possessing its own distinct size, formation process, and behavior. The most prevalent is the stellar black hole, which forms when a massive star exhausts its nuclear fuel and falls inwards under its own gravity .
6. At the top end of the scale, we have supermassive black holes. These are the big players with masses millions to billions of times that of the sun. They sit in the centers of most galaxies including our Milky Way .
7. Black holes possess an event horizon, and there's another boundary known as the Kochi Horizon. This is an inner edge inside the black hole which marks the spot where the singularity or the very center of the black hole is located .
8. There are compelling theoretical ideas about what might transpire if you were to survive a journey through a black hole and emerge on the other side. Our equations suggest that an entirely new space-time dimension would unfold before you .
9. Regardless of the type of black hole you're talking about, the one concept that always comes up alongside it is that of dark matter. It's a unique kind of matter that outweighs visible matter in the universe .
10. The fact that they spin or carry an electric charge can prolong their existence, this could turn them into a possible source or storage for dark matter particles. It could possibly offer more insights into the character of dark matter and its role in shaping the universe .
11. Stephen Hawking presented a theory that links these two apparent realms, something known as the theory of Hawking radiation. This theory implies that black holes aren't as inescapable as we thought. They slowly lose their mass due to this radiation .
12. The realm of extraordinary possibilities, ideas like wormholes inside of a black holes. Could these black holes serve as gateways to other universes? .
13. Numerous concepts proposed that black holes might serve as natural time machines. This idea is not entirely devoid of scientific reasoning. Central to this line of thinking is the phenomenon of time dilation .
14. Some scientists even suggest that the severe warping of space-time within and around black holes could fold space and time onto itself. This could lead to a closed time-like curve also known as CTC or a time loop .