Astronomy Wonder Assignment

Question: How do black holes form and what happens inside them?

Firstly, what are black holes?

A black hole is a space area where gravity is really powerful that even light can’t break free from it. This strong gravity is due to matter being squeezed into a very small area. This compression usually happens when a star reaches the end of its life. Certain black holes form as a result of dying stars collapsing in on themselves.

How do black holes form?

The smallest black holes are called Primordial black holes. They are believed to have formed right after the big bang in the early universe. Medium sized black holes are called Stellar black holes. Stellar black holes are different. They happen when a big star collapses in on itself, causing a supernova explosion. They are the most common kind of black holes and a lot of them are found within the Milky Way.

Supermassive black holes are the largest black holes. They are thought to have formed at the same time as the galaxies they’re in. The size of the supermassive black hole is connected to the size and mass of its galaxy.

Sagittarius A is a supermassive hole at the centre of the Milky Way. It has a mass equivalent to 4 million suns and it is estimated to be around 44 million kilometers wide. It was first identified in 1974 by astronomers Bruce Balick and Robert L Brown but it was not officially named until 1982.

https://images.app.goo.gl/k4cteyqFLQUntRr78

When a star collapses on itself, like an implosion, this collapse creates a black hole. It doesn’t take up any physical space but has a lot of mass, which is the star’s leftover material.

As the black hole consumes things around it, it becomes more massive. The more it consumes, the bigger it gets. As it grows, it creates a region around itself where nothing, not even light, can escape. This boundary is called the event horizon, where things can’t return. Once something has crossed this line, it’s lost to the black hole forever.

When a large amount of matter is packed together, gravity becomes the dominant force, pulling everything inward. This gravitational pull is so strong, leading the matter to collapse in on itself. The collapse doesn’t stop until it reaches a point called a singularity.

https://images.app.goo.gl/VWJTrgza3fi4kupu8

This video talks about black holes and how they work:

So, what happens inside a black hole?

If an object gets really close to a black hole’s event horizon, the object would go through a process called “spaghettification”. What this means is that the gravitational pull from the black hole would stretch the object in the direction of the black hole, in a spaghetti appearance. So, once inside the black hole, the matter gets torn apart into very small parts and then it will eventually be squeezed into the singularity. When the singularity gathers more matter, the black hole’s event horizon expands.

This is what spaghettification looks like:

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/black-hole-star-spaghettification-tidal-disruption-event/

Being really close to a black hole’s event horizon can also mean that they are cut off from the rest of space-time. Time will go by much slower when next to a black hole. 

As objects get near the gravitational pull from a black hole, time also becomes stretched, resulting in time dilation where time flows at a different pace. So, if you were near a black hole for one year, it could mean that 80 years has passed by on Earth.

Reflection:

What questions did you need to research in order to research your topic?

• I had to research about what black holes were. That way I could explain what it was first. Then I would be able to get into answering my question.

What new or familiar digital tools did you try to use as you worked through this project?

• I used reliable sources like NASA and other websites as I worked through this project. NASA is a website I am already familiar with, so it was the first website I used to help me with this project. 

What was the process you used to investigate the topic?

• The process I used was to first pick my question. I found a meaningful question I wanted to research about, then I got started. I came up with similar questions in order for me to have found lots of information. Then, I made sure I kept track of all the websites I was using, so I could easily go back for more information if needed. Then, I put all my information together and added pictures.

How did you verify and cite the information you found?

• I made sure that there were enough detail for me to understand and summarize the information. I also tried to find scientific websites to make my information more accurate.

How did the process of completing this challenge go? What could you have done better?

• I think that the process of completing this challenge went really well. I was able to find all the answers to my question and I was able to learn a lot about my topic. What I could have done better was get more of the work done in class. Since I did not get most of the work done in class, I had to finish it at home. 

Bibliography:

• “What Is a Black Hole? (Grades 5-8) – NASA STEM Team.” NASA, 21 Nov. 2022, www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/for-kids-and-students/what-is-a-black-hole-grades-5-8/#:~:text=A%20black%20hole%20is%20a. Accessed 20 May 2024.

• Freeman, Lucy. “What Would Happen If You Fell into a Black Hole? | BBC Earth.” Www.bbcearth.com, www.bbcearth.com/news/what-would-happen-if-you-fell-into-a-black-hole. Accessed 26 May 2024.

• Baron, Sam. “Are Black Holes Time Machines? Yes, but There’s a Catch.” The Conversation, 3 Jan. 2023, https://theconversation.com/are-black-holes-time-machines-yes-but-theres-a-catch-195418#:~:text=A%20clock%20that%20is%20near. Accessed 25 May 2024.