After the discovery of the first black hole close to Earth on May 7, 2020, scientists and those interested began to wonder about the possibility of this danger swallowing the Earth and what could be the consequences of that.
On that first occasion, a group of astronomers from the European Southern Observatory and other institutes discovered a black hole called “HR 6819” just a thousand light-years from Earth.
This black hole is closer to the solar system than all others known today, and it is part of the triple star system visible to the naked eye.
Scientists have obtained the first image of a supermassive black hole in the center of the Milky Way. The mission required a telescope the size of the globe.
The seemingly impossible task was accomplished, thanks to the work of more than 300 specialists from 80 research centers, as astronomers connected 8 radio telescopes spread from Spain to Hawaii and from Arizona to Antarctica. The result was an image obtained with the help of radio waves.
In the image, a bright ring appears with a black spot in the middle. This ring consists of radiation that swirls around the black hole in a spiral.
In practice, radio waves, like light rays, should propagate in a straight line, but the black hole’s massive gravity causes them to be bent by the force of the space around them.
Black holes, which were first discovered in 1916, are defined as space-time and space in which there is so much gravity that no nearby object, including light, can escape. The mass of black holes ranges between the equivalent of five suns or Dozens of suns, and several billion of the mass of the sun, so can a black hole absorb the Earth?
Specialized scientists tend to exclude such a possibility, pointing out that the chances of the Earth being exposed to a black hole before it is absorbed by the Sun are zero.
Astronomers believe that such a danger on Earth does not come even from the “closest” black holes, because the distance is too far, and these black holes will not affect our planet.
And Doug Goebel, a professor at the Department of Physics at the University of Rhode Island, USA, points out that “even if a black hole swallowed its twin star, its mass would not be sufficient for anything but a few flashes of radiation,” stressing that the effect on Earth would be absolutely zero.
And the same expert goes on to clarify the issue by saying: “Although it will not be easy for a supermassive black hole or even a medium-mass black hole to appear somewhere near the solar system, it is quite possible not to notice a stellar-mass black hole when it approaches.” from the solar system. But even a black hole with a large stellar mass, say 30 solar masses, would have to be closer to Neptune in order to have at least some gravitational effect on Earth, and about the distance of Jupiter, to influence Earth with a gravitational force roughly equal to gravity. Solar ».
As for the hypothetical point of view, if a black hole suddenly appeared and exposed the planet Earth, then when it approaches and is closer to the moon, the planet will be torn apart.
In this regard, Jonathan Zarak, a professor of physics and astronomy at Clemson University, USA, says: “The Earth will lose its atmosphere and oceans, and molten metal will flow from the Earth’s crust into space.”
This is unlikely to happen, as scientists suggest, even if the black hole gets too close, it will affect the Earth in some way, but it will not swallow it. The danger lies in the impact of the black hole on the orbit of the planet, and the climate may change or a collision with asteroids may occur.
Physicist Doug Goebel concludes that “the Earth will certainly survive, but it is unlikely that humanity and most of the multicellular species on Earth will survive.”
Source: Russia Today
