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Could Black Holes Be Portals to Other Universes?

Posted by Zonk on from the oh-sliders-you've-taught-us-so-much dept.

David Shiga writes "Astronomers have identified many objects out there that they think are black holes. But could they be portals to other universes called wormholes, instead? According to a new study by a pair of physicists, we wouldn't be able to tell the difference. They have discovered that wormholes with the right shape would look identical to black holes from the outside. But while a trip into a black hole would mean certain death, a wormhole might spit you out into a parallel universe with its own stars and planets. Exotic effects from quantum physics might produce wormholes naturally from collapsing stars, one of the physicist says, and they might even be produced in future particle accelerator experiments."

8 of 277 comments (clear)

  1. I can only imagine by wmwilson01 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Err... Captain, are you *sure* that's a wormhole and not just a blackhole?" "Shush! If there's one thing I learned at Starfleet Academy it's the difference between a wormhole and a

  2. Going into confusion... by bitRAKE · · Score: 5, Funny

    What would a blackhole going through a wormhole look like?

    (Or is that when the 503 error happens?)

    1. Re:Going into confusion... by rs79 · · Score: 5, Funny

      "What would a blackhole going through a wormhole look like?"

      Utah.

      --
      Need Mercedes parts ?
  3. Universal gravity by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    A chemistry teacher of mine in high school (early 90's) of mine had a big, long lecture about the universe and built it all up from subatomic particles and ended with the vastness of space. It was his Xmas gift for his classes every year, and we loved it. Well at least those with half a brain did.

    Anyway, his twist at the end resembled this article. He said that everything in the universe has gravity. Well, if everything has gravity, then the universe itself has a gravitational pull. Eventually the mass of the universe would be such that any light trying to escape it would be pulled back inside, which would make the universe appear to be black hole from anyone on the outside looking in...

    1. Re:Universal gravity by Ambitwistor · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Well, if everything has gravity, then the universe itself has a gravitational pull. Eventually the mass of the universe would be such that any light trying to escape it would be pulled back inside, which would make the universe appear to be black hole from anyone on the outside looking in... It sounds like your teacher may have had the misconception that the universe is an expanding sphere, with stars and galaxies on the inside, and a void outside into which the matter expands.

      That's not how Big Bang cosmology works, however. In that theory, all of space is filled with matter, and space itself expands, carrying the matter with it. There is no "edge".

      Consequently, it doesn't make much sense to speak of light trying to "escape" the universe, since the universe has no boundary. That's why it's problematic to speak of the whole universe as a "black hole".

      For a related FAQ, see here.
  4. Just like putting by geekoid · · Score: 5, Funny

    a portable hole into a bag of holding!

    --
    The Kruger Dunning explains most post on /. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dunning%E2%80%93Kruger_effect
  5. Oh, well, that's different by Deadstick · · Score: 5, Funny
    But while a trip into a black hole would mean certain death, a wormhole might spit you out into a parallel universe

    ...dead.

    rj

  6. Re:Into the Unknown: The Circle by rasputin465 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Black holes are where god divided by zero