Black Holes.
Absorbing everything in its midst, the black hole is among the strongest forces in the known Universe. Bending light and manipulating time, it's no surprise they are able to grab our attention as well. How exactly do black holes come to be?
Inside the core of a star, nuclear fusion generates the electromagnetic radiation that counters the force of the star's gravitational pull. Gravity pulls in, the radiation pushes out. As a star exhausts its fuel, the push force, generated by the radiation, weakens, and the star begins to collapse onto itself. The star will persist nuclear fusion, and continue to rise in mass. The critical point is when the star can no longer sustain the pressure from its own gravitational pull, and fully collapses.
If the final mass of the collapsed star is great enough, it will result in a black hole. If not, the star will form into either a 'white dwarf' or a 'neutron' star. This process can take millions of years.
More on black holes next Sunday!
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This topic is REALLY interesting! I had no idea that black holes were actually formed by the IMplosion of a star. I always thought it was from a large star EXplosion. I'm excited to read more about how a black hole imposes itself upon light and time. Keep it coming!
ReplyDeleteThis post was a lucid explanation of an incredibly complex procedure that has only come under the scope of human understanding incredibly recently, especially from the viewpoint of astrophysics. I enjoy the stark simplicity of this column, which is unassuming in its premise and is not imposing to the reader. I enjoyed stopping at your blog to read this. If you ever want a change of pace and some controversy, stop by my blog:
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Keep the column going! I'll come back.