To explain the effects of gravity in a black hole, NASA simplified the science with an intriguing video. It features a virtual camera that dives into a supermassive black hole, similar to the one at the center of our galaxy.
If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if you fell into a black hole, NASA has the answer. She designed a simulation that ties the complex mathematics of relativity to real-world scenarios. This approach practically answers this captivating question.
But what is a black hole?
black holes, one of the most captivating mysteries in the universe, are so dense that nothing can escape their event horizon, not even light. When we approach them, these celestial objects distort space and light dramaticallya phenomenon that NASA animation seeks to capture.
On the edge of these gigantic cosmic vacuum cleaners are the accretion diska whirlwind of superheated matter that spirals inexorably toward the central abyss.
This process is sometimes visible as flares as chunks of matter fall into the black hole, providing valuable data to astronomers.
A supercomputer to imitate a giant black hole
NASA’s visualization was made possible thanks to the immense computing power of the supercomputer Discover from NASA’s Climate Simulation Center.
In just 5 days this machine processed approximately 10 terabytes of dataa task that would have taken a conventional computer more than 10 years.
This animation simulates falling through a supermassive black hole. It illustrates what a camera, and, by extension, a fairly daring astronaut would see. The latter would cross the event horizon of a black hole having a mass 4.3 million times that of our Sun.
Space exploration, the effects of gravity and going back in time
The initial descent begins at about 640 million kilometers from the black hole. As the camera gets closer, it speeds up, reaching speeds close to the speed of light.
Additionally, the light from the accretion disk and background stars begins to distort. That creates multiple images as space-time becomes intensely distorted.
Although the camera takes approximately three hours to reach the event horizon in real time, for an external observer, it seems to slow down then freeze. This effect has been nicknamed “frozen stars” by astronomers.
Once crossed, space-time itself rushes inward at the speed of light. Therefore, this drives the camera towards the singularitya point where the known laws of physics cease to exist.
The final destruction of the camera by spaghettification occurs in just 12.8 seconds. Then she goes through his last 128,000 kilometers towards singularity in the blink of an eye.
NASA is also exploring an alternative scenario. In this case, an accompanying astronaut the camera could theoretically return younger. This is believed to be due to the time dilation effect, caused by the intense gravity and high speed.
And have you ever thought about the effects of gravity in a black hole? Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comments!
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