New fear unlocked: runaway black holes
3 days ago
- #astronomy
- #gravitational-waves
- #black-holes
- Astronomers observed a runaway asteroid last year, sparking interest in the possibility of faster, more massive objects like black holes passing through our Solar System.
- Recent evidence suggests runaway supermassive black holes exist, with some observed tearing through other galaxies and leaving contrails of stars.
- Theoretical foundations from Roy Kerr and Roger Penrose explain how black holes can release vast amounts of rotational energy, especially during collisions.
- Gravitational wave observatories like LIGO and Virgo have detected black hole collisions, confirming theories about their spin and energy release.
- Runaway black holes, moving at high speeds, can leave straight contrails of stars, as observed in galaxies like NGC3627 and others imaged by the James Webb telescope.
- While the possibility of a runaway black hole entering our Solar System exists, the likelihood is extremely low, adding an exciting but non-threatening element to our understanding of the universe.