Collapse of a star to create a black hole....for dummies?

Question

I'm trying to get my head around black holes. Can anyone explain in as simplistic a way as possible how the collapse of a star creates a black hole and what happens to the "stuff" that gets sucked into the hole.

Thanks guys 8-)

Answer 1

Depending on the size of a star, its collapse is received with greater force. A small star may just burn up on its collapse and sort of smolder. A larger star collapsing faster may have its molecules collapse in on itself forming something denser like nutronium. A Big star collapsing will create enough energy that its pulling its own gravity in on itself creating a blackhole. Think of it as having a large vaccum cleaner that is on and keeping you near by but not moving you closer. As the vaccumm cleaner collapses, it gets more powerful because its concentrating its pull into a tighter spot with a more energy because it is not being spread over as large on an area and its burning up its energy at a greater rate. Throw into that mix the idea that the emptiness will cause the things just around the vaccumm to get pulled in to fill the void it becomes a super vaccum that is stronger and more concentrated.

Answer 2

What keeps stars from collapsing under its own gravitation are 1) pressure generated by nuclear power, and 2) nucleon degeneracy, which prevents nucleons from mashing into each other. However, with sufficient gravitational force from sufficient mass, even those things fail to prevent a collapse into a black hole, where even ordinary nuclei and other matter enter another state that physicists yet have to figure out. Some even suggest that time becomes space, and space becomes time, but so far, it's just on paper. A black hole isn't infinitely small, even though it has a relativistic singularity at the center. A black hole has what's called an "event horizon", where even light straying this close to the center cannot escape. For this reason, black holes are called such, because astrophysicists originally imagined that they must look like black spheres with no light coming out. They know now that is not true, since quantum processes occuring outside the event horizon make black holes appear to emit radiation. What is inside a black hole? No one exactly knows, but the relativistic explanation is that it's just extremely curved spacetime, which alone is sufficient to impart black holes their great mass.

Answer 3

You are probably having trouble with the concept of a black because you also don't have your head around gravity.

Everybody knows that gravity is what makes things fall to the ground, right? --but it's not really that simple. Gravity seems to be a side-effect of mass. Everything that has mass attracts every other thing that has mass. The more mass that something has, the more strongly it attracts things.

Now, separately, remember that the only way we can see an object is that either (a) it actually emits light (like a lightbulb) into our eyes, or (b) it reflects light from other sources into our eyes. "Light" is actually a bunch of little particles called photons. Photons have mass, and can be affected by gravity.

Now we have the two pieces of information we need to make a black hole. When an object is so massive that its gravitational field won't even let photons escape from it, we call it a "black hole." The gravity is so strong around a black hole that NOTHING can escape from it. When "stuff" falls into one (as far as we know!) it just makes the black hole bigger.

If you want more info, try this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole

Answer 4

As the star dies, the nuclear fusion reactions stop because the fuel for these reactions gets burned up. At the same time, the star's gravity pulls material inward and compresses the core. As the core compresses, it heats up and eventually creates a supernova explosion in which the material and radiation blasts out into space. What remains is the highly compressed, and extremely massive,
core. The core's gravity is so strong that even light cannot escape.

This object is now a black hole and literally disappears from view. Because the core's gravity is so strong, the core sinks through the fabric of space-time, creating a hole in space-time -- this is why the object is called a black hole.

Answer 5

that's one theory on how the Universe may attain it really is end (familiar because the great kick back) Assuming the universes strengthen is countless and that darkish power does no longer intrude. As Stars die some for Black Holes some Supernova and some form White Dwarfs. Supernova leave round a gaggle of gas and airborne dirt and mud from which new stars should be born. finally the cycle will repeat till all matter is collapsed into Black Holes or spread too a thoughts aside to be of use. Then because the Universe Darkens the void will be packed with extremely great Black Holes (more beneficial than those got here upon on the coronary heart of maximum galaxies) will scatter in the approach the void distanced remote from one yet another Many many cases more beneficial than the present universe earlier they too evaporate and the universe is darkish quiet and empty. Sub-note: the previous poster has reported that "if our solar were replaced with a black hollow orbits may proceed in a lot an identical vogue" This only isn't authentic. The orbit of everybody merchandise round yet another is an quite mushy situation. in case you modify any component about it the orbit will fall down very with out delay, as any orbit is a stability between the forces pulling you down and the forces pushing you ahead. (surely you fall downwards as quickly because the object bellow falls away) replacing the solar which has a million photo voltaic mass with a Black hollow (frequently round 4 + plus photo voltaic thousands) skill the forces pulling you down are a lot more beneficial and we are no longer transferring ahead quickly sufficient to flee that. this does no longer mean orbit of a Black hollow isn't accessible, in truth we are doing it at present. each and every thing in our galaxy Earth blanketed is familiar to Orbit the Black hollow Sagittarius A*.

Answer 6

a black hole is just like a burnt out star the star is still there but it gives off no light and it isnt really a hole the star gets compacted and becomes really dense the denser the object the stronger its gravitational pull so a "black hole" basically suck stuff into it which makes the black hole stronger because the mass increases basically atoms are never destroyed or created they just chnge form

Answer 7

can you let me know the plain english answer when you get it?...

I have a basic understanding but have no clue on the science of it