A new simulator has the answer
Posted 02.09.2010 at 6:29 pm
23 Comments
Black Hole Simulation
via Thomas Müller, and Daniel Weiskopf
By definition, one can't see a black hole itself, only its effect on the light of intervening stars. And without some serious equipment, even that's a tall order. Luckily for all us amateur astronomers, Thomas Müller and Daniel Weiskopf of the University of Stuttgart, Germany, have created a simulation that uses actual star data to calculate exactly what seeing the Schwarzschild black hole would look like.
The simulation takes into account the position of 118,000 stars, the distortion caused by the black hole's gravitational lens, and even Fraunhofer diffraction, to present the most realistic shot possible. The simulation also has two different modes, one where the viewer rotates around the black hole, and one where they slowly fall into it. Even crazier, the simulation models how the stars would appear to change color as the Doppler effect took action on a viewer falling towards the singularity at nearly the speed of light.
Here's a sample video showing what the Schwarzschild black hole would look like to a viewer circling it at a distance from the singularity five times the the radius of the black hole's event horizon.
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That's it. Who would ever really know and why should this be of a concern?
Like we've never seen a black hole before :)
Hmmm.
I was expecting a video showing what it would be like inside of a Black Hole instead of just watching it from afar.
Thats amazing. I would love to hear Steven Hawkins input on this!
Jess
www.online-anonymity.cz.tc
Weak. I had a Windows 95 screensaver that told me this 15 years ago.
LAWL
Ok but the movie "black hole" circa 1980 does a wayy better job!!////hahahahahaha LOLOLOL
i guess i was expecting something to be sucked in.
I can honestly say I don't think I'd ever want to know what I would be seeing as I was sucked into a black hole. I can't see it ending good for myself... o.O
@greyfox150... getting sucked into a black hole would definitely not end well for you. In fact, it would NEVER END AT ALL due to gravitational time dilation.
The real question is, what'a at the bottom of a black hole?
Violence must be eradicated; Kill all the violent people you know!!
It's a black splotch. That's the sim? You guys are having a good laugh aren't you?
good to know in case i fall into a black hole.
Interesting the gravitaional lensing effect makes it appear that while orbiting a black hole stars appear to bunch up around it and orbit the black hole. To answer one mans question there really is no bottom to the black hole persay.
A Black hole is a gravitational effect caused by the collapse of a massive star. The star is still there along with all the matter that gets sucked in the enormous gravity of a black hole will crush matter beyond all that we recognize, and compress it into a form beyond imagining. Black holes exist throughout the universe and make possible the galxaxies as we know them. To my knowledge all pinwheel shaped galaxies have Black holes at their centers it is responsible for the piwheel effect. through a phenomenon known as frame dragging, this effect is caused by the immense gravity of the Black hole actually dragging the fabric of space and time around the black hole. If you want and example take a peice of light fabric, and lay it out on a table top, and anchor the corners. Then take a pencil eraser end down and turn the pencil until the fabric twists.
You will note that the fabric will begin to bunch up in a sprial pattern. Just like the galaxies we see in the night sky with telescopes.
Not much... seems to be the answer.
But I was expecting to see the stars collapse into a tunnel as I look up out of the black hole. Of course, as one approaches the horizon I'd also expect to see my body pulled apart by the tidal forces. Or maybe nothing as time slows to a crawl.
did everyone who was disappointed actually click on the link in the article or just watch the sample?
I was so excited by this clip! Wow, what kind of physics savant came up with this masterpiece? Anybody for a quick game of pong?
remember that is only a theory
the dilation of gravity and time
why does a nomal star when collapsed, have more gravitational that a normal star? Is it because the core is really powerful?
@viniboy... Because when the sun uses up all of its hydrogen its gravity pulls the sun in, effectively "eating itself". So it goes out of control and if its strong enough, becomes a black hole. Think of Broly without his control Equipment.
viniboy... to answer your question, is because so much mass is packed into such a small point. Instead of having the masses gravity spead over a large area, like in a star, a tremendous amount of gravity produced in a very small area.