Probably one of the most prevalent myths regarding black holes is that they are black. In fact scientist’s have no idea what color they are. They only assume they are black because according to theory the gravitational forces associated with their mass are so large that light cannot escape or be emitted from them.
However, calling them black is somewhat analogous to calling a light bulb that is turned off black because it is not emitting any light.
Another myth about Black Holes is that they are holes in a space-time metric. But the volume of a hole by definition cannot be made up of the medium in which it resides. For example, the volume of a hole in sand cannot contain sand. Additionally one can always fill in that hole and make it smaller.
But according to theory, a Black Hole’s mass is made up of space-time metric while the sounding volume is made up of the same “materialâ€
However when you add mass to a Black Hole it gets bigger..
But, as mentioned earlier observations of our environment tell us that a hole gets smaller not bigger if we add the material that surrounds it to it.
In other words, why do we call them holes when adding the sounding material causes them to getting bigger not smaller?
But one of the more mysterious or non-common sense aspects of a Black Hole is how is it possible for an object with a volume bigger than our sun to collapse one-dimensional point or a singularity as physicists like to call it.
In 1915, Karl Schwarzschild discovered that according to Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity the gravitational field of a star greater than approximately 2.0 times a solar mass would cause the matter contained in it to collapse to singularity or a one-dimensional point in space it after it has used up its nuclear fuel.
This conclusion is based on the fact that the strength of a stars gravitational field increases as it collapses. Therefore, current theories predict that at a certain point in time the contraction of a star will produce a gravitational field whose energy is strong enough to cause the complete collapse of the matter. In other words, the energy of its gravitation field becomes stronger than energy that gives atoms and their components, the protons, neutrons and electrons their volume causing them to collapse to a one-dimensional point in space.
Additionally physicists tell us the properties and laws that govern the environment of a singularity are “mysteriously” hidden from our view because according to them nothing not even energy can escape a black hole.
However, observations of our environment when extrapolated to the formation of a black hole tell a different story.
For example, the heat generated by the gravitational collapse of interstellar gases causes fusion reactions to begin in a star. The radiation pressure generated by those reactions slows the rate of collapse until and a balance is reached between the energy radiated into space and its volume.
However, the laws of thermodynamics tells us that in the formation of a black hole some of the heat generated by the gravitational collapse of a star that has used up it nuclear fuel must escape from its environment for it to continue to collapse because if it did not a balance would be established between the radiation pressure generated by that heat and gravity.
Yet according the proponents of black holes nothing not even heat can escape from them after they have collapsed beyond their event horizon. Therefore, the heat generated by the gravitational collapse of its mass cannot escape. This means that according to laws of thermodynamics the radiation pressure generated by the heat created by its gravitation collapse at the time it passes through its event horizon must prevent its further collapse.
In other words, a star could not collapse to the non-zero volume no matter how massive it is because no energy can escape from a black hole after the formation of its event horizon. Therefore, it must maintain non-zero volume because the radiation pressure caused by its further collapse will offset the gravitational pressure caused by its mass..
There can be no other interpretation if one accepts the validity of the laws of thermodynamics.
It would be a different story if the energy were allowed to escape because then the gravitational contractive forces could exceed the radiating pressure generated by heat of its collapse and allow it to continue to a one-dimensional point. However because the formation of an event horizon prevents this from occurring they would eventually have to balance each other thereby preventing its collapse to a singularity.
(In the article “An alternative to a singularity?” Aug. 15, 2008 we come to the same conclusion using the conceptual arguments based on The General Theory of Relativity.)
This suggests our common sense feeling that it is not possible for the entire mass of star to collapse to a singularity or a one-dimensional point may be valid.
In other words even though there is irrefutable observational evidence that black holes exist, the mysterious singularity that is said to exist at its center may be a myth.
Later Jeff
Copyright Jeffrey O’Callaghan 2008