Slashdot Mirror
About That Monstrous Black Hole We're All Orbiting (theatlantic.com)
Astronomers on Wednesday reported new telescope observations of the environment around the Milky Way's supermassive black hole, named Sagittarius A*, pronounced "a-star," and they transformed the data into a lively animation. From a report: The video is positively ghostly. Clumps of gas swirl around the black hole, traveling at about 30 percent of the speed of light. Astronomers collected the data for the visualization using an instrument on the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, located in the deserts of northern Chile. The instrument, appropriately named GRAVITY, detected flares of infrared radiation coming from the disk surrounding Sagittarius A*. The researchers believe the bursts originated very close to the black hole, in an incredibly tumultuous region known as the innermost stable orbit. Here, cosmic material is slung around violently, but it remains far away enough that it can circle the black hole safely without getting sucked into the darkness.
If the thought of orbiting a monstrous, star-gobbling black hole spooks you, don't worry. Earth, located about two-thirds out from the center of the Milky Way, is at a very safe distance. The planet is in no danger of being consumed and wiped off the face of the universe. But, like everything else in the galaxy, it has long been subject to the black hole's whims. When black holes belch radiation out into space, the outflow can heat surrounding gas so much that it prevents it from cooling. If cosmic dust can't cool, it can't condense to form individual, brand-new stars, including ones like our sun. Scientists suspect that the fates of galaxies -- whether they produce new stars or stop altogether -- rests with the supermassive black holes at their centers.
If the thought of orbiting a monstrous, star-gobbling black hole spooks you, don't worry. Earth, located about two-thirds out from the center of the Milky Way, is at a very safe distance. The planet is in no danger of being consumed and wiped off the face of the universe. But, like everything else in the galaxy, it has long been subject to the black hole's whims. When black holes belch radiation out into space, the outflow can heat surrounding gas so much that it prevents it from cooling. If cosmic dust can't cool, it can't condense to form individual, brand-new stars, including ones like our sun. Scientists suspect that the fates of galaxies -- whether they produce new stars or stop altogether -- rests with the supermassive black holes at their centers.
Well, um, sometime after the sun goes nova.....
What, first post?
If you need instructions on how to pronounce something you've named, you're doing it wrong. That's about as offensive as pronouncing GIF with a j.
What an amazing coincidence! I bet that doesn't happen often!
Folks, it's insane to think that this Universe is governed almost solely by one, solely attractive, extremely weak force called "gravity". There has got to be more to it than that.
Last time I checked, which was about 3 seconds ago, modern physics defines 4 fundamental forces of nature that the universe is governed by: "Fundamental interaction" And there are active efforts in experimental and theoretical physics to define a Fifth force. So there is all that going on above and beyond just gravity running the big show.
It's not governed by one force, but at least four: Strong, Weak, Electromagnetic and Gravity. Possibly five, if we ever figure out what dark energy is.
um: "... and they transformed the data into a lively animation. "
Read much?
If you're referring to radiation coming from the accretion disk around the black hole, then it's not within the event horizon, so it can escape. If you're referring to Hawking radiation, then good luck understanding that.
But are Pak Protectors on the way here?
Then more stuff should be coming out of it than in.
The images and videos linked from the summary are denoted as simulations.
Anyone know what the real data look like? Or if the organge-vs-blue whisps mean anything?
Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
Oh please, not that guy's bullshit again.
We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
Its like a big drain the closer you get to the drain, the faster you go. And black hole drains is what causes time to exist.
Wouldn't it more accurately be described as an A-hole?
Chris, when you stop listening to the evidence, you stop being a scientist. Every time we have a decent science article that mentions gravity, some dipshit electric universe cultist comes in and tries to tell us Einstein was wrong. Try using that brain you have for something other than holding your ears apart.
Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
No Chris, you're still a cultist idiot.
Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
And for the third time you've posted the same thing ON THIS THREAD ALONE: you are a fucking cultist. Electric universe bullshit is nothing more than a worthless con job by idiots, for idiots.
Fascism: An authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization. See also: NAZI's
When do we get results from the EHT? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
I thought that's what this article was gonna be about, I'm so anxious to hear about those results.
And the text is positively ghastly.
What do we have here?
* First, black holes radiate, almost like supernovae.
* Second, radiation is a flow, not a flux.
* Third, hot gas is naturally self-insulating.
Look, ma, no spectral emission envelope!
The flow/flux distinction is something a principled science writer would handle with thick, protective gloves.
Anyone else know the story about Feynman in the basement confronting the arithmetic average temperature of red and purple stars?
I think he should have let off some steam by rewriting the lyrics to "Purple Rain" as "Purple Hole", while improvising from the heart a raging bongo between verses.
the size of a small town
Black holes continue to be described as singularities with zero volume.
Perhaps you mean that the volume enclosed by the event horizon is the size of a small town?
That that is is that that that that is not is not.
Lay off the weed. Realistic theories:
1. We gauge time by memorable events.
As William James hypothesized, we may be measuring past intervals of time by the number of events that can be recalled in that period. Imagine a 40-something mom experiencing the repetitive, stressful daily grind work and family life. The abundant memories of her high school years (homecoming football games, prom, first car, first kiss, graduation) may, compared to now, seem like much longer than the mere four years that they were.
2. The amount of time passed relative to one's age varies.
For a 5-year-old, one year is 20% of their entire life. For a 50-year-old, however, one year is only 2% of their life. This "ratio theory," proposed by Janet in 1877, suggests that we are constantly comparing time intervals with the total amount of time we've already lived.
3. Our biological clock slows as we age.
With aging may come the slowing of some sort of internal pacemaker. Relative to the unstoppable clocks and calendars, external time suddenly appears to pass more quickly.
4. As we age, we pay less attention to time.
When you're a kid on December 1, you're faithfully counting down the days until Santa brings your favorite Hot Wheels down the chimney. When you're an adult on December 1, you're a little more focused on work, bills, family life, scheduling, deadlines, travel plans, Christmas shopping, and all of that other boring adult stuff. The more attention one focuses on tasks such as these, the less one will notice the passage of time.
5. Stress, stress, and more stress.
As concluded by Wittmann and Lehnhoff (and replicated by Friedman and Janssen), the feeling that there is not enough time to get things done may be reinterpreted as the feeling that time is passing too quickly. Even older individuals (who are, more often than not, retired from work) may continue to feel similarly due to physical handicaps or diminished cognitive ability.
All Hail Azathoth! The Primordial Chaos that gave Birth to All and shall Devour All!
sigs are hazardous to your health