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A Black Hole's Lunch
by: Akshay Pall
As large as the Earth may seem, it pales in comparison to the sizes of the vast majority of other planets and stars in space. Due to the large distance between them and our world, the mere existence of deep-sky objects is unknown by many humans. Though these seemingly irrelevant masses have no direct impact on humans’ lives, they can have drastic implications on what we consider to be correct according to the laws of physics.A humongous gas cloud, titled G2, was found in the summer of 2011 by a group of scientists working at the European Southern Observatory (ESO). This cloud is nearing the approximate gravitational pull radius of a nearby dark hole and is expected to be completely engulfed in the next several decades. Scientists have speculated that a star is hidden inside of the cloud, resulting in a slow-down of the cloud’s “death”. The reaction from the dark hole’s pull on the internal star will result in the emission of powerful x-rays. These x-rays will be captured by scientists and will allow them to observe and collect data regarding space and quantum physics in further depth.
While this theory may seem rather unfathomable, it certainly seems plausible with the backing of somebody with Stephen Hawking’s stature. Even if the theory is incorrect and the event horizon does not fluctuate enough for us to notice through the return of previously consumed matter this endeavour will provide scientist all over the world with information regarding how exactly dark holes consume different types of materials. Therefore, while the consumption of gas cloud G2 may take decades, the results will certainly be worth the wait.
Why is this important, you ask? While it is true that there is a large consensus on the laws regarding dark holes within the astrophysicists community, there is still some disparity. This event will clear up any misconceptions that may plague current theories regarding physics in space. What’s more important, however, is that this event will allow scientists and skeptics to test out Stephen Hawking’s newly-revised theory on dark holes.Most intellectuals believe that dark holes have an “event horizon” or “point-of-no-return” which renders everything that is sucked into them as unrecognizable matter, as though nothing is there. However, Stephen Hawking theorizes that the event horizon is something that changes in position over time. This would mean that something that is pulled in and converted to “invisible matter” would be able to be reverted into its original state if the event horizon flexes behind it. This would be similar to a soccer net, with a ball inside of it, being pushed back by a couple hundred feet. The soccer ball would no longer be inside the net and the goal would no longer count towards the score.