Photo above taken by the Hubble Telescope.

This page is devoted to the wonderful world of black holes. Do they exist? If so, where are they? Read on and you're guaranteed to find out the answer.

What is a Black Hole? A celestial body whose surface gravity is so strong that not even light can escape once trapped. Remember a black hole is invisible. So if light cannot escape, nothing else can, according to Einstein's theory of relativity. A French mathematician, Pierre Simon de LaPlace agreed with Isaac Newton that light is composed of particles. A way to identify a black hole is gas from a star nearby is flowing towards a black spot at the speed of light. Temperatures similar to those of x-rays are emitted. Interesting enough, a Japanese scientific satellite has detected x-ray temperatures flowing towards the center of our galaxy. This could very well be a super massive black hole!!

Astronomers, though have never been able to identify one. The Hubble Telescope which is orbiting Earth has photographed a disc of dust and gas rapidly rotating around what is probably a black hole; luckily a very, very far distance away.

As you read, super computers are being used to determine black hole behaviors. Astronomers are still looking for proof of their existence.

Not all scientists think they exist, though. But the ones that do use the laws of physics to prove their point. They suggest that black holes must exist.

According to Stephen Hawking, perhaps the most famous astronomer, black holes vary in size. The super massive or huge ones are probably located in the center of galaxies. There is possibly one in the center of the Milky Way. According to Hawking, as temperatures rise in the black holes they will shrink. Eventually over a very long time they will evaporate with a burst of energy.

So what happens when a particle enters a black hole? Some astronomers say its like a wormhole and you enter, flow through it and go straight into another universe!!

Who is Stephen Hawking?

Mr. Hawking is perhaps the best known astronomer alive. He suffers from Lou Gehrig's disease and is permanently handicapped in a wheelchair. He studied physics and mathematics at Cambridge and at the University of Oxford. He strongly believes in the existence of black holes and has written several books including A Brief History of Time, Black Holes and Baby Universe.

 

FUN FACTS:

Did you know that time does not exist inside a black hole?