You can't see black holes, yet you believe in them?

Question

I googled black holes because I never saw a picture of one before. So I went through 3 pages of pictures and they're all computer animated images.

So then I just went to google and typed in "you can't see black holes" and it's true! You can't!

http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/en/kids/blackhole/

"Even if a bright star is shining right next to a black hole, you cannot see the black hole."

So if you cannot see black holes, and just think they're there because there is no light in that area...how can you believe in them? Just because scientists have told you?

Isn't that the same as a religious person believing in something just because their preachers have told them?

omg depressed phoenix, of COURSE....I've been wondering why there was all this pudding in my yard...it must be that there is a wormhole in my back yard!!!

Answer 1

I haven't seen/experienced a black hole, and until I do, whether they exist or not is really of no importance to me. Same with God.

Liesel.

Answer 2

well there is strong scientific evidence they exist however
if ya ask a scientist if god exists and ya want evidence
you wont get anywhere.....its faith in god and belief in god
not what some preacher tells you i dont know how to explain it
to you... you remember when you were really little and you
just knew god was up there in heaven, santa claus was comin
for christmas and stuff like that, i think your spirit or soul kinda
has to grow as you do cause it didnt take much for us to believe when we were that young like a tiny glass full of water.
but as we get older that same amount of water wont fill that
glass anymore, you need proof and evidence and confirmation to belive in something. now sure God could just
walk up to ya and "say hey hoes it goin?" but why reward
faith if he has to do that? now as far a black holes go , no you cant see them with your eyes , but you can detect them with
radiation and graviton waves. id google on how to detect black holes for more information. good luck on your search
for the " truth"

Answer 3

You can't "see" a black hole because nothing escapes it ~ light (which is needed to reflect something visual), matter, energy, ~ nothing. It is detected by the effects it produces on it's immediate environment. You can't see anything beyond it's event horizon.

For an in depth explanation read this, it's quite fascinating and written in lay terms:

http://curious.astro.cornell.edu/question.php?number=50

Answer 4

There are many things you cannot see, but that exist anyways.
Can you see the air you breath?
Can you see another person's thoughts?
Can you see the heat from a stove?
Can you see the radiation used to make shadow images of your insides?
Can you see the microorganism that made you ill?
Can you see a mother's love of her children?
Or, is it that you beleive in these things because you see the effects they have on their environment? As is the case with black holes. We know they exist because we can see thier effect on the nearby objects in thier region of space.

Now, if you were to ask me about the 'Big Bang' theory; I'd have to say that we are now talking about a religious type of experience. The Big Bang theory is based on a set of math routines based upon a religious premise that there was a beginning, and that the universe is not infinite. A concept that I find implausible at best.

Answer 5

Obviously, you should research what a black hole is first. There is light in that area, but the gravitational pull of black holes are so strong, that light cannot escape. Also, black holes warp the area that they are next to. So I've seen the effects of them, which is enough for me, however, I've never seen the effects of God.

Answer 6

You can see the effects of a black hole on the surrounding planets or stars.

Answer 7

You may not be able to see them (that's being debated, though), but you can detect them from their effects on their environment. For a very recent example of the detection of a "nearby" and largest black hole to date see http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/10/18/blackhole_supersized/ .

You can't see air, either. What do you say I remove yours for, say, ten minutes, and see if you believe in it?

Answer 8

You can detect black holes indirectly, especially by x-ray emissions from the accretion disk surrounding the black hole.

Answer 9

No! You can, scientifically prove there's black holes, and there's evidence and ways to back up their existence. But believing everything a preacher says, with no scientific and historical proof is naive.

Answer 10

A new take on the sophmoric "You can't see the wind.." argument.

The answer for this question and the one I mentioned are the same; We can measure, quantify, and predict the affects of these phenomenons allowing us to prove that they exist.