B

LACKH
OLE&S
PACE–T
IMER
ELAT
ION
B
y-K
ran
tiP
rak
ashP
ol

Doyouth
in
kthatt
heti
mewi l
lev
erstop
??Pra
cti
cal
l
ynotb
utact
ual
l
yyes
!!
!Theti
mesl
owsdo
wna th
ig
hsp
eed
s&a r
oun
d
mass
iv
eobj
ects
.I
tcompl
et
elyst
opsatth
esp
eedofl
i
ght(
3*1
0^8
)&atthee
ventho
ri
zono
f t
heb
lac
khol
e&do
esnote
xi
sta
t
th
ecent
eroft
hebl
ackh
ole
.Let’
sseeho
w…

Acco
rdi
ngtoEi
nste
in’
sGe ne
ralT
heor
yofRel
at
ivi
ty
,an
yma ss
iveobj
ectdi
stor
tsthespace
-ti
mea r
oundit
,inc
lud
in
gourSun,
E
art
h,orev
enus.Ablackhol
eisanex
tre
mecase,i
nth
es e
nsethatt
hec u
rvat
ureofspac
e-ti
meb e
comesin
fi
ni
te,pr
event
in
g
e
venl
igh
ttoescap
e.Theboundar
ybey
ondwhi
chevenl
i
ghtcan
notesc
ape .
Theregi
oni
nwh i
chtheesc
apevel
oci
tyofapar
ti
cl
e
e
xceed
sthespee
do f
li
ghtiscal
l
edaneve
ntho
ri
zon,wh
il
eit
’sr
adiu
scal
led“Sc
hwa r
zsc
hi
ldrad
ius
”.Oncepar
ti
cl
e&lig
htray
sgo
p
astth
ee v
enthor
iz
ont he
irl
ig
htcone
s“tipo
ver”&poi
nttosi
ngul
ar
it
y, whi
chhowr e
presen
tsal
lfut
uredi
re
ctedpat
hswit
h
n
oescapepos
si
bl
e.

•
-‘
Ones
tar
’
sen
disab
la
ckh
ole
'sb
egi
nn
in
g‘-
 Mo stb l
ackhol
esareforme dfro
mt heremnantsof alar
g erstarth
atdiesinas u per
no v
ae xp
losi
on.(Small
erstarbecomes
adenseneu t
ronstar
,wh i
chisn otma s
siv
ee noughtot r
apl i
ght).I
fthetot
al ma ssof TheS t
arisl
argerenou
gh( atl
east3t i
mes
th
ema sso fS u
n).I
tcanbep rovent h
eoreti
call
ythatnof orcec ankeepthes tarfromc o l
l
apsi
ngu nd
erthein
flu
e nc
eo fgravi
ty
.
However,asT heStarcol
la
ps es,as tr
angerthi
ngo ccur
s .Asth esurf
aceo fTheS tarcome snearsanimagi
narysurf
acec al
l
ed
“e
venth ori
zon”,t
imeonT heS tarsl
owsr el
ativ
et othetimek ep tbyobser
v erfa rawa y.Wh enthesurf
acereachesthee ve
nt
hor
izon,times ta
ndssti
ll
&T h eS ta
rcanc ol
laps
en omo re-itisaf roz
enc oll
aps i
ngo bj
e ct
.Evenb i
ggerbl
ackh ol
escanr e
sul
t
f
romt hestell
arcol
li
si
on.
Soonafteritslau
nchofNAS A'sS wif
ttelescopeinDec- 2 0
0 4, th
et el
escopeo bservedthep o
we rf
ulfl
eet
ingfla
sheso fl
ig
ht
kn
o wna sga mmaraysburst.Chandra&NAS A’
SH u
b b
lesp acet el
escop
ela terc ol
l
e cteddatafr
o mt h
eevent’s“af
tergl
ow”&
tog
e t
her,theo b
servat
ion
sledt oc on
clus
ionsthatthepowe rfulexp
losi
onsc anres u
ltwh enablackhol
e&an eutronstarcol
li
de,
pr
od u
cingano t
herbl
ackhole.
Fr
o mad ist
ance,abl
ackh o l
eactsl
ikea n
yma ssi
ve,g r
avitati
onalo
bject;un ti
li
t’sri
ghto ntopofyou,itfoll
owsc l
assi
cal
mechani
cs&“Ne wto n
’sl
awo fu ni
ver
salgravi
tati
on”,wh ichte l
l
su sth
ea ttract i
onb etweentwoo b
jec
tsisp roport
io
n a
lto
th
eirma ss&d ropo f
frapi
dlywi thdi
stance.Itsimpl
yme anst her
eisnog rav i
tati
o naldi
ff
e r
encebe t
weenab l
ued warfst
ar
wei
g h
ing26 5Sun’
s&a2 6
5S olar–ma ssbl
ac khol
e.

Approachcloset oab l
ackho l
eisenoughtowr apy ouinitsg r
avi
tation
a l
sl
eeperhold
. E
ins
tei
n’st heor
yo fgen
e r
alrel
a t
ivi
ty
”
whichpredi
ctedb l
ackholegravi
tyal
sowr aps“space–t ime ”&thate x
tremegravi
tydoesit
.
I
fyous tudyab l
ackho l
efromas tarshi
pyo uwil
lfi
n dthat
, t
h ecl
o se
ryoug otomo nstrousmass,y ou
re ng
ineswo ul
d
havetok i
cko uttoma inta
inac i
rcu
larorbi
t.Att hefir
st,firi
ngoftheo ccasi
onal
rocketburstwo ul
dsuff
icetos t
abil
i
z eyou,
th
e nmo v
ec l
o ser&y ouwil
lhavetoe xp
ende normo u
sen ergyjus
ttoma i
ntai
nanir
regul
arorbi
t.Cl ose
rsti
ll
,&n onstopt i
cke
t
burnwo u
ldbea l
lthatstoodbetweenyou&a nn
ihi
lat
ion.
Onceyo uareouto ff
uelyouwo ul
dspiral
int
ot hebl
a ckhole
’se ve
nth or
i
zon(ab oundar
yb eyondwhi
chn ot
hing,note v
en
l
ig
htc ane s
c ape.
)f romt hereyouwi l
lhavead atewi t
hd est
in
y,n ot
hingyouc o
u l
dd owoulds topyourine
xorablejourn
ey
towardsthes i
ngul
ari
ty.Ac oreo f
space-ti
mej ustoutsi
det heeventhorizon
.Forad i
stan
tobs erv
er,youwo ul
da p
p eartobe
i
nas tati
onarypo s
it
ionsinc
ee venl
ig
htc annotescapethee venthori
zon.
Gravi
tational
timewr apsoccuruni
ve r
sal
lybuta r
eu su a
ll
ytoof e
eb l
etoben oti
ced.Withinbl
ackholes,
thetimet wist
s
evenmo r
e .
Infact,wh enwes ayyouc a
n’tavoidfal
li
ngi
n tot h
esingul
ari
ty,i
tis
n’tj
ustbecauseo fth
einten
s egr
avit
yo rs pa
ce
wrappin
g.R atherti
mewi t
hinab l
ackholewr apstos u
c had egreet h
att h
esingu
lari
tyli
esi
ny o u
rfutur
e.T r
yingtop reven
t
re
a chi
ngthesingul
ari
tywo ul
db el
ik
ea tt
emp ti
ngtoh al
fti
me .
Gravi
typ rev
e n
tsli
ghtfromescapingab l
ackh ol
eint heEi
nstein
iansens
ea n
dn ottheNe wtoni
an.Thefor
cec an’
t“p ul
l
”
onlig
htbe c
a useli
ghthasn oma ss
.R athergravi
tywr apss pace
-timeb ackonits
e l
ftosuchad eg
reethatli
ghtresemb l
esa
h
amstero nawheel
,ru
nni
ngfora
ll
it
’swort
hbutge
tti
ngnowhe
re.
I
ma gin
eab l
ac
khol
ea sawate
rfa
ll
ofspa
cewherespa
cepou
rspas
tphot
onsj
ustasq
uic
kl
ythe
y“s
wim”t
hro
ughit–th
at
i
satli
gh
ts peed
.
Asthes p
eedget
shi
ghe
rt h
antha
to f
thespe
edofl
igh
tthes
econd
sbeco
meslar
ger&wewo u
lds
ayt
hatt
heti
meissl
owat
h
ig
hs pe
e d&s t
oppeda
tthecent
erofth
ebla
ckhol
e!!