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How Would an Astronaut Falling Into a Black Hole Die?

ananyo writes "According to the accepted account, an astronaut falling into a black hole would be ripped apart, and his remnants crushed as they plunged into the black hole's infinitely dense core. Calculations by Joseph Polchinski, a string theorist at the Kavli Institute for Theoretical Physics in Santa Barbara, California, though, point to a different end: quantum effects turn the event horizon into a seething maelstrom of particles and anyone who fell in would hit a wall of fire and be burned to a crisp in an instant. There's one problem with the firewall theory. If Polchinski is right, then either general relativity or quantum mechanics is wrong and his work has triggered a mini-crisis in theoretical physics."

6 of 412 comments (clear)

  1. We must find out for sure! by Kenja · · Score: 5, Funny

    Locate a black hole and start shooting monkeys at it! "Science can not progress without heaps [of monkeys]"

    --

    "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
  2. Disney knew this in 1979 by The+Grim+Reefer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hell is in the black hole. And pray you don't go there with a psychotic red robot.

  3. Re:Gravitational tides will kill you by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    If the astronaut gets across the event horizon, then he will never die relative to us. So, there really isn't a problem here as far as I can tell.

  4. Re:Gravitational tides will kill you by Sarten-X · · Score: 5, Funny

    Heck, considering what we know about the locations of black holes and the speed of manmade spacefcraft, old age will probably kill you before you get close enough to notice the gravity.

    Everybody repeat after me: "Space is big. Don't mind Sarten-X, he is a jackass."

    --
    You do not have a moral or legal right to do absolutely anything you want.
  5. Re:They're all Wrong! by harrkev · · Score: 5, Funny

    Actually, it is also possible that there is no such thing as a black hole - but cetain parts of the universe just suck. I have known some towns like that.

    --
    "-1 Troll" is the apparently the same as "-1 I disagree with you."
  6. Re:He would die of shock by sideslash · · Score: 5, Funny

    He would die of shock [...] And then her body would be torn asunder.

    So you think a black hole would accomplish a gender change on the subject? Interesting theory.