What happens when two black holes come in close proximity to each other? Will they "swallow each other up?

Question

My younger cousin (9 yrs old) asked me this seemingly innocent question and I found it beyond my knowledge to give him a complete answer. I'd appreciate it if the community could provide one that would satisfy the questions of so young a "scientist".

Answer 1

Yes, it is possible for two black holes to merge and produce a larger black hole. When two large galaxies collide, the super-massive black holes in their cores may eventually spiral into each other. The only sign we could detect of this would be gravity waves.

Stars of all types can merge. It is thought that neutron stars merging produces short gamma ray bursts.

Answer 2

What a great question. There are numerous theories about what can happen if two black holes merge or collide. Some scientists believe that the impact or merger of two such holes would result in an enormous burst of gravitational radiation. The following website has lots of good info on this topic and I bet you could word it to explain it to your cousin. Good luck!
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/blackhole_collide_020801.html

Answer 3

I think that two black holes which travel into close proximity would tear a hole in the fabric of space time. I do not think that the atomic structure of the universe could support such tremendous force. Now, it is possible that these two black holes could combine, but I do not find this likely. I feel that this phenomenon would create the hereto unproven event of creating a hyper dense point of gravitational energy which would, if it did not destroy the fabric of space itself, become the center of a great collection of stars and galaxies.

Answer 4

I've always thought about that. Lets think of the black holes as two magnets. What happens? They basically make a big magnet with the same strength. Thusly, they would probably create one black hole of the same strength.

*Edit* injanier, black holes can not become larger. They are one point in space and have an infinite pull (or that's the definition anyway)

Black holes are thusly the same size.

Answer 5

They could merge and become a black hole with the combine mass.

I don't know if anyone really check the possibility that this close encounter could cause a pull that will extract matter from one of the black hole as its pull will negate some of the other hole pull.

Answer 6

The strong black hole would suck up the less strong one. If they were equal they would be a certain length apart and just spin because the gravitational pulls of each black hole would cancel each other out. Black holes are really a single super dense spot with super strong gravitational pull.

Answer 7

They will merge. It will be similar to the way two bubbles combine or two drops of water combine.

There won't be any spectacular show because the gravity will not allow us to "see" anything.

Considering how densely populated with black holes the centers of galaxies are thought to be, I would not be suprised if this has already happed many times.

Answer 8

one in all a sturdy reason i comprehend is in case you kiss and seem at one yet another at the same time as kissing, your eyes ought to go go-eyed because its too close.it ought to kinda smash the mood of kising, do not you imagine? Now you would not choose that to happen ought to you at present.

Answer 9

Yes, that seems to be a current theory. One swallows the other, but not without a lot of fireworks. It seems logical that a large black hole will swallow a smaller one. How else could you get supermassive black holes that weigh billions of solar masses?

Answer 10

Well...I guess that there would be a strong pull between both and maybe what ever got pulled between would be stck between both black holes as if it were sitting in the middle of two holes.

Or pulled apart