STUDENT: Blair Hecker
PROJECT ADVISOR: Asif ud-Doula
ABSTRACT
Black holes are objects from which even light cannot escape. They are massive but small in size relative to their mass. There is a general belief that when an object ventures too close to a black hole’s event horizon¹, it gets torn into spaghetti like shreds. This is due to the object’s proximity to the singularity² that lies within a black hole. However, we show here that this can only happen if the mass of the black hole is relatively small. When the black hole is classified as supermassive this ‘spaghettification’ does not occur. In addition, we will also outline different methods for detection of black holes with a special focus on so-called ‘gravitational lensing’³ methods.Key words:
Event horizon¹- The boundary of a black hole that marks the critical limit where the escape velocity of a collapsing body becomes equal to the speed of light.
Singularity²- A mathematical point at which space and time are infinitely distorted.
Gravitational lensing³- A concept arising from the fact that a gravitational field bends light, and hence a concentration of mass can focus light rays in a manner similar to that of a lens.
References: Illingworth, Valerie. The Facts on File Dictionary of Astronomy. Third ed., Facts on File, 1985.
Very well done poster. Polished, thorough, beautiful.
When I got confused in times past, I often felt as if my brain had been spaghettified, and I was always able to blame some nearby black hole. Now I know if the black hole is a relatively huge one, I cannot use that excuse. I must hang around only the smaller black holes if I expect to have that excuse handy. I am grateful for your research and poster! Seriously, Hecker, this is good stuff!