What is a Black Hole?
In its simplest sense, a black hole is an area of space wherein there is no way for an object to escape its gravitational pull. Do black holes exist? Astronomers certainly believe they do, though confirmation of black holes can not currently be made by direct evidence. Items contained in a black hole will remain there for an infinite period of time.
In a black hole, there is a huge concentration of mass. This is what gives the black hole its gravitational strength. Scientists generally agree that black holes are formed following the death of a massive star. As we know, the sun is a star, but scientists do not think the sun is large enough to ever have the capacity to create a black hole upon its death. Rather, for a dying star to create a black hole it would have to weigh ten times more than our sun itself.
Because a black hole has such intense gravitational pull, nothing can escape it, not even light. This lack of light accounts for the term "black" hole, as the gravitational forces will cause its appearance to remain dark infinitely. Though scientists cannot see black holes, when they find areas in space where large amounts of mass are contained in a small volume, and the area is dark, chances are there is a black hole in the area.
Our sun will never develop into a black hole, according to scientists and astronomers. These men and women also indicate that the sun can be expected to endure as it is for another 5 billion years. However, to get a feel of what it would be like entering a black hole, scientists suggest astronauts in a space ship would experience a floating, gliding sensation as they neared the black hole. This would be a pleasant experience as the gravitational forces would be similar to simply orbiting the earth at first. However, as the space ship moved closer and closer to the black hole, the areas of the body closest to the center of the black hole would begin to feel more pull. For instance, your feet would begin to feel a stretching sensation as you grow closer to the black hole. Eventually, according to researchers, this pull or stretching sensation would grow to be quite uncomfortable and would eventually crush the human body.
Written by D Frank
