Black holes: Sharks in space
XTE J1550-564 is a binary system in which an evolved star orbits -- and donates matter to -- a black hole estimated at 10 times the sun's mass
The Great Whites of the Universe, Black Holes, affect everything within their gravitational field. Carcharodon Carcharias is not only a top predator of the seas but also an elusive monster that scientists have a difficult time spotting. According to Dr. Alice Christie of Arizona State University "these sharks are hard to study because they are hard to find…." So too the Black Hole, but just as the blood trail will point to a great white in the area so will the trail of stellar debris from a feeding black hole point to its location in the cosmos. Black holes do not go just about the universe "sucking" in everything in its path; however, any matter that falls within the gravitational field of the black hole will be affected, including being consumed. In Black Holes Space Time Distortion we understood that black holes come in different sizes. Depending on the mass of the star's core, we can determine the gravitational forces the remains will create. There is a direct correlation between the mass of the hole and the gravitation arm (the reach) the hole will have. Since light cannot escape from inside the photon sphere, it is impossible to spot one of these monsters. However, when an object is affected by the gravitational force the object's changed trajectory can be observed. Black loles can be as benign as creating a wobble on a planet to as destructive as consuming whole solar systems. As objects fall into the gravitational field of a black hole several things occur. The orbital trajectory of the object changes and if the object gets too close, it starts a decaying orbit around the core remnant. The closer the object gets (let's consider a star), the stronger the gravitational forces are and the star starts to tear apart. Matter is ripped off the orbiting star until the very star itself is torn to dust and gas. This matter continues to orbit the core at an ever decreasing radius with increasing speed. The matter (mainly super heated gas) starts to both heat up and pile up around the event horizon in an area called the Accretion Disk. Once all the matter is reduced, the accretion disk starts to diminish until all the matter has fallen past the event horizon and into the singularity. Like water falling down a drain, this orbital decay and the birth of the accretion disk can be visually observed for as long as the matter is white hot and in the disk. The "bi-polar jets," symmetrically opposite each other and at 90 degree angles to the accretion disk, provide any way to look at a black hole. It is believed that the accretion disk produces tangled fields of magnetic energy that if sufficiently large, will create a magnetic dynamo and "lift" the jets away from the gravitational force of the core. These jets while a relatively small percentage of the matter in the accretion disk, burn white hot and propel matter millions of miles into space. The jets produce the tell tale signal that a Black Hole is there!
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