Black Holes Galore

Posted by Yadgyu
October 25, 2007

Do black holes have anything to do with dark matter?

Posted by QRQD
October 26, 2007

no, they don't

Posted by Joe
October 26, 2007

They're not directly related. The terms "black" and "dark" refer to a similar property - neither emit light - but black holes aren't made up of dark matter or anything.

Black holes -at least the black holes most people think of- are stars that are so big their gravity makes them collapse into a point. While they're alive, the same processes that make them shine keep gravity at bay. But when they die, there's nothing to fight gravity.

Dark matter is matter that does not emit light. So far as I know, we don't know where it comes from or why. We can only detect it based on its gravitational effects.

Posted by Saint Andeol
October 26, 2007

Dang, i love these deep field pictures that have hundreds of galaxies in them. Even just to begin to try to comprehend the distances involved in this picture is mind-boggling to the Nth degree.

Posted by Saint Andeol
October 26, 2007

that didn't take long. : )

Posted by THOMAS BILLIS
October 27, 2007

Mr Lemonick I just saw a fascinating PBS documentary on what may be the the first building block of life neutrinos and I hope in a future column you discuss them.

--I think you may have misunderstood something. Neutrinos don't have anything to do with the origin of life. They can't even interact with atoms and molecules in any ordinary way, so the idea that they could have given rise to the molecules of life is pretty much impossible.
M.L.

Posted by Barton Paul Levenson
October 27, 2007

Thomas Billis:

[[Mr Lemonick I just saw a fascinating PBS documentary on what may be the the first building block of life neutrinos and I hope in a future column you discuss them.]]

ML:

[[--I think you may have misunderstood something. Neutrinos don't have anything to do with the origin of life. They can't even interact with atoms and molecules in any ordinary way, so the idea that they could have given rise to the molecules of life is pretty much impossible.]]

Maybe he was thinking of the experiments with handedness that involved neutrinos -- I think someone has invoked some physics of subatomic particles to explain the predominance of left-right handedness in Earthly biochemistry, but I can't remember the details or who proposed it. (I think the theory is wrong, though, since handedness in meteorite amino acids is about 50-50. My guess is that the prevalence of left aminos and right sugars in Earthly life is simply due to common ancestry.)

--Right. And maybe you're right about what the PBS show said. Or maybe it was "aminos" rather than "neutrinos," but that's kind of a stretch, I must admit

Posted by Saint Andeol
October 28, 2007

so are these the quasar-containing galaxies 10 billion light years away that this Space.com article talks about?:

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/071025-missing-bholes.html

the same 2 telescopes are mentioned. if so, that's pretty cool. it's a glimpse back in time, so to speak. so does that mean that most of the young Universe looked like this? with bunches and bunches of quasar-galaxies?

--Yes, that's the same set of observations. And yes again, that's just what it means. Pretty cool is exactly the way I feel about it.
M.L.

Posted by Bennie M. Beaver
October 30, 2007

Truck Driver's Web Site: GOOGLE Keyword "Dr. Warpenstein"

The true state of the cosmos is "quintessence" a kind of balance maintained from "black holes" [Black Holes" may be an avenue to multiuniverses, however, "quintessence" is my first guess]; and the electromagnetic, weak, and strong forces are simply different states of gravity, much like ice is a different state of water; therein, will be found the unity between gravity and quantum theory, and dark energy. Under these conditions dark energy is not described as 120 orders of magnitude too big. In the case of Dark Energy, gravity is in a different state, just as with the quantum state. In fact, at present, and with layman logic, and without empirical evidence, I believe that "Dark Energy" is the essence of matter without mass and gravity. Therefore, I believe that "Dark Energy" may be removed from matter leaving it massless and without gravity cabable of traveling at the speed of light, and with a receiver, becoming omnipresent and in two places, simultaneously. (entangle nature of matter).

Of course, my simple layman perspective on all of this is my statement below that only the present is three-dimensional....How to unfold a three-dimensional object into a two-dimensional space? To my layman conjecture this process suggest an entangled mechanism which possibly includes another of which I may mention later. However, considering, like the proverbial tree that falls in the forest and there's no one present to hear it, or me, "does it make a sound"? Who cares?

You say, that it might be just as well to make use of an imaginary monkey, sitting at a typewriter for an exponential number of years, typing away in hopes of creating every recorded text recorded in human history...and at the end to have created a Unity Theory to explain EVERYTHING. Stand by while I continue to add my musings to the empirical recordings of the monkey. (If true, it's an interesting scenario. Can you imagine an enormous ship in the sky looking three-dimensional, having no mass, harmlessly penetrable by normal matter, but capable of traveling at the speed of light. Next, what does it mean? Dark Matter may be ordinary and heavy neutrinos, WIMPS/AXIONS, non-baryonic matter, but "DARK ENERGY" is a chameleon matter.)

--O...kay

Posted by THOMAS BILLIS
October 30, 2007

Mr Lemonick when they discovered that neutrinos may have mass they are mow looking at what role neutrinos may have had in the creation of matter.

Posted by Saint Andeol
October 31, 2007

I think Dr. Warpenstein just plugged his blog. But even if it's only half as confusing as his post, it'll still be too confusing to read.

This post makes me think of this cool site I like to read through whenever I want my head to start hurting:

http://www.astro.ucla.edu/~wright/cosmology_faq.html

It's got a lot of really fascinating info on it. There's some higher mathematics, but also a lot of words-only explanations that I can almost wrap my brain around. Each time I read through it, I learn a little more. Plus, there's an obligatory Hitchhiker's Guide reference, which scores some Nerd Credibility Points (NCPs).

Posted by Ben Bonsens
November 1, 2007

Saint Andeol how many NCPs do I get for "42"?

Posted by Saint Andeol
November 1, 2007

I'm gonna say 40 points.

Posted by bkJ
November 1, 2007

Found a link about blackholes and other scientific info at http://www.polijam.com/SciHealth.htm Site contains other info related to politics, business and law, but I prefer the science and health page. Great website. It appears to be updated often.

Posted by nestor j fernandez
November 2, 2007

Impresionante, y pensar que hace unos años no sabiamos de su existenci

Posted by Brad
November 6, 2007

"Impressive, and to think that years ago we did not know of its existence."

Posted by mike mcgregor
November 9, 2007

i am tall , dark & not so hansom (ugly) but that's not the problem . the problem is that i have something clever to say but i am DYSLEXIC and when i read this back to my self i do not particularly think that i am in any way clever but i am,,,,,hi as you probably know my names michael mcgregor (infinityplusone). i have for sometime now , been trying to get my infinity plus one out to the public , but there has been a few unseen hurdles that i have/must get over. i have been told that i would be knighted (dreaming , but a nice dream) for what i am about to explain , but unfortunately for me they are the people who are totally against its release . now understand fully that infinity plus one is not just a mathematical solution but the answer to ''THE BIRTH OF THE UNIVERSE'' . many/most/all religions are against its publication because it disproves GOD (if you think of the possibilities of a GOD then they are infinitely against), it means the bible is in-part lies with an unhappy ending (its not so much the religion , it is the type of people that has been woven into the fabric's of religion's that makes my shudder to the bone) the reason that it makes me shudder to the bone is = what i know is everyone apart from uniks are sexual , if someone does not marry , is not gay or have sex with a woman then they have unusual turn on's that are probibly ileagle because anyone who does not have sex with a man or woman and likes being around children , then to me there is a big case for concern anyway back to my I,P,O,,,,,,.infinity plus one / birth of the universe , i have known since i was 10yrs old , a time in my life that unbeknown to me so much had happened . that's how long i have been telling people . one of the most complex things about what i am about to say/explain , is the only person that's meant to explain this is someone ''special himself''. the main reason for me going to such lengths to get this out is to see my children(alex , tom). i could go into it but it would in itself get complex , let's just say we are not all equal . now my (ipo) infinity plus one is based entirely on fact & possibility's . so what i came to know is , at some stage 'regardless' there was NOTHING & something had to of come from nothing to make a beginning . after all time is a measurement & you need something to exist in order to measure it. so my job was to think of all possibility's , without exception (everything). so all i had to do was a process of elimination , i broke it down to two choices POSSIBLE or IMPOSSIBLE (it sound's in a way 'as simple as that' but when you combine it with every possible thing you can reach a very high number). it sounds like an almost impossible task but that's what i done , i thought of everything & at the end there was only one thing possible, 'highly improbable' , but the only possible answer, & in that sense it was simple to work out , being the ONLY possible answer , meant the ONLY possibility. to give you a few examples= was it a chair , no because someone would have to exist in order for the chair to be made . was it GOD = no because something would have to exist in order for god to be made , did god suddenly just appear = no because what did he appear from . the only 'possible answer' is that the 'smallest possible thing' (microscopic) appears for the 'shortest possible time '(Milli second).i am talking about a piece of time that's so quick that you can not measure it without the aid of a computer & a size that small that you would need the best microscope to see . a freak of nature , with possibility at its limits. but still the ONLY possibility (the only possible answer = the answer). so you have this endless vacuum void with nothing ,then this smallest/quickest speck of dust existing for the smallest amount of time possible . i know that the odds of this happening are huge (billions to one) but still the only possible answer .you might at this point think 'ok then , s o what if it does' . well a lot really . this meen's that there was never infinity until infinity plus one happened , because with these specks appearing for the shortest time , in their own right , they where their own infinities , time & time again . not only that but it makes it totally possible for other universes to exist out with our known universe's , because for our infinity plus one to happen in an infinite void does not mean it was the first to happen in a infinite void ,there could be universes way in advance of ours (in any conceivable direction) because as i will come to explain , if you can get one from nothing , then you can get infinity from one(infinity X nothing = nothing) , because once you have come to accept this then what else is to be explained is simple to understand . so you have once again got this microscopic dust suddenly appearing for the shortest moment happening every so often through out the entire universe . well there was infinity of nothing & if you mix infinity with odds possibly in excess of a billion to one then , not only do you get a certainty of it happening , but you get the certainty of it happening again & again . until one time you get two of these specks happening at the exact same time & space (infinity plus one) now that's the beginning of time , because if you get two anythings occupying the exact time & space only one thing WILL happen ''BANG'' (explosion) . what will happen is tiny debris will be created from the BANG & they will be PERMANENT (the first thing to exist) & the chances that it will happen will be greatly increased.because when they become permanent they will be there for the next tiny speck to appear briefly for the shortest , quickest time & if it appears on/in something permanent then again you get another ''bang'' & the chances of it happening again are yet again greatly increased & so on until you have a near infinite number of these carbon debris . all within reach of each other now this is where you need to use some imagination because the way i see it is , when i look at the shape of any world/planet it is round with out exception , so i am guessing that all the carbon debris would have gathered in a spherical shape and bound tighter and tighter each time gathering heat (remember a diamond is carbon) and the first planet was created , then the planet would at some stage expand then implode with age (the first big bang) it will in it's self be an end but within it's possibility's become part of what we will come to know as the beginning of what we know today ' EARTH ' . now it might not seem that impressive to you but lets look at the statistics , & may be they shine a different light on whats been going on & . the debris from the bang is not a given amount , what i mean by this is after the first little bang their was not a set number of debris, but we can for certain say it is at the very least ONE (1) & that's a fact (it must be at the very very least one). so we have got one (1) from nothing (0) because before the bang there was nothing (0) & after the bang we have at the very least one(1). before the bang there was an infinite time of nothing because if you add up infinite/infinity x nothing (0) = nothing (0) , it is as simple as that , any number x 0 = 0 so infinity x 0 = 0 yet i have proved infinity plus one (1) from nothing (0) (ipo) = infinity plus one because infinity X one (1) = INFINITY but getting one (1) from nothing THAT'S INFINITY PLUS ONE (INFINITY X 0 = 0 yet i have proved 1 = infinity plus 1 & . now if you think of the last number of infinity , its impossible you cant . so in doing so i have proved the impossible to be possible , with infinity plus one .because infinity x 0 = 0 yet i have got plus 1 that's infinity+1 a number bigger than infinity = PROOF OF THE IMPOSSIBLE , making the impossible possible with infinity+1. in a way i find it funny because man/human kind has been saying it to each other for a very long time (generation's) because if you think of it , when you ever hear someone saying ''' YOUR MAKING SOMETHING OUT OF NOTHING''' that is in effect infinity plus one , because you can say the word 'something' is not a number but the word 'something' is , if you think of it at the very least 1 . you have got 1 from 0 , infinity X nothing (0) = nothing (0) yet you have got 1 , that's infinity + 1 (the answer to everything and what's to come). i have known this for 30 years and the more i know the better it becomes , because everything that has ever happened in the history of what is known to of happened and all the unknown is all without exception something that is contributed to infinity plus one. infinity plus one (I,P,O) is without exception ''THE ANSWER TO EVERYTHING'' , the most beautiful , perfect answer to everything known and also the answer to everything that's still to be discovered . there is nothing comparable to I,P,O the more intelligent you are the more you will appreciate I,P,O because the more you know the more complex the easier and overwhelming i,p,o becomes . everything can be traced back to i,p,o the moment when we all where all one , our birth , our lives , our ancestors , our universe , other universes , all universes including neutron stars all black holes EVERYTHING . even if you count all the bad luck and all 'why did it happen to Me's' you can trace it back to i,p,o . I,P,O sets your mind free of all the non sense its based totally on fact and possibility and the only impossibility is infinity plus one it's self . the worst thing of all for me is trying to explain i,p,o on paper , the whole reason for this is I AM DYSLEXIC. every time i write this down it seems to be ok then i go to read it and even i cant make it out (lol) it's true . if only i had a clever audience so i could explain 'in my own WORDS what i really mean , trust me when i say how frustrating this really is for me because if i can hardly understand this then what chance have you got.,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, so with all this you must say for a fact that not only is there the possibility of life within our known universes but the distinct possibility of intelligent lifes from differant/unknown universes way beyond ours which stems from another infinity plus one else where in the voids with out space because if you can get one from nothing then you can get infinity from one ,,,,ie if it happend once (all our known universes back till the beggining of time) then it is certain to happen else where and if the universes are way in advance of ours then intelligent life is an absolute possibility. after all we ourselfs one day will have to move to another planet and then become the aliens ourself . to ask the question = yes theres other life but it wont be intelligent untill we meat .

Posted by Brad
November 10, 2007

You have utterly failed to comunicate anything substatial. I don't think dyslexia can account for this complete inability to communicate. If you're so bad with words, maybe you should use numbers. You've repeatedly refered to 0, 1, and infinity, so why don't you post some formula's to back your claims (whatever they may be; I'm hoping by seeing what you mean I might understand you). Anyway, this is a blog, not a scientific journal. No-one wants to read through a post that large. What does it have to do with Black Holes, anyway?

Posted by Ben Bonsens
November 12, 2007

Mike Mcgregor, huh?

My brother is dyslexic but he is also very disciplined. Therefore he can communicate very logically and clearly. Without clear communication any ideas that you have will only be wasted.

Posted by Saint Andeol
November 12, 2007

yeah, 2,101 words is a long way to read with no paragraph breaks.

listen, i know you think this makes intuitive sense to you, but i'm reading through some of this, and i gotta tell you, you're making WAY too many assumptions as to what is a "possible" answer, and what is the only possible answer.

you're assuming the state of existence before the Big Bang was "this endless vacuum void with nothing". then for some reason, within a void of nothingness, little dots of infinitely small dust appear for infinitely short periods of time, because that's the only possible thing that could have happened.

and THEN it starts getting confusing. again, if nothing else, splitting your post into manageable paragraphs will help make your ideas more understandable. and making them a little shorter would help, too.

Posted by Yadgyu
November 13, 2007

I know exactly what Mike McGregor is trying to communicate. Beliitling his comment does nothing to improve your lack of understanding. How about you guys reread the comment instead of jumping on his case? I read it three times and I understood everything after this third reading.

Posted by Ben Bonsens
November 15, 2007

Yadgyu, if I propose an idea in my field that is on some shaky ground I would get booed offstage. This does not mean that the idea is unsound, it means it is unsubstantiated. Therefore if I think I am right, I go back to the lab or the drawing board and FIGURE OUT WHAT IS GOING ON before I present again. That is the true meat of the scientific method. If the hypothesis is incorrect reexamine it, make any appropriate adjustments and perform the experiment again.

Science is not automatic cynicism, it is suspended belief, and should be treated as such. Either prove it or shut up. Standing there babbling incoherently does no one any good.

And yes I read it repeatadly, and my head now hurts. Mike McGregor good luck on seeing your kids again.

Posted by Dave Briggs
November 28, 2007

Yes,
I thought it was very interesting the way they used to think that the big black holes were rare and after further research they seem to find one at the center of every galaxy. I like the saying I heard on one science show, "This is what we think we know"! It seems like in science you have to stay humble with an open mind!
Dave Briggs :~)

Posted by Alan Quasha
December 2, 2007

"But it turns out that at least some black holes have been blazing all along; they were just shrouded by dust."

One wonders how many other scientific facts may be covered by dust!