Will a black hole revolve around a non-black hole object with greater mass?

In summary, the movement of objects in space is not as simple as one object revolving around another. Instead, the movement is determined by the center of mass of the system. In the case of stars and black holes, they will both rotate around the center of mass of the system. This has been observed in binary systems like Cynus X-1, where a black hole and a star orbit each other. Even the most massive object will orbit its smaller companions, as seen with the Earth and the Sun orbiting their respective barycenters. The animation linked provides a visual representation of this concept.
  • #1
d-wat
4
0
i'm just wondering if a black hole orbits around a greater mass or will the greater mass revolve around it?
 
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  • #2
Contrary to what many believe, stars and black holes do not remain stationary as objects revolve around them. While the Earth is revolving around the sun, the entire solar system is actually turning around its center of mass. Since the sun has much more mass than the planets, the sun's movement is barely noticeable.

So a black hole is just an incredibly massive thing, and assuming the other, even more massive object doesn't collapse in on itself due to gravity, both would rotate around the center of mass of the system.
 
  • #3
Indeed, Cynus X-1, the best and longest known black hole, is a binary system. The black hole of about 8.7 solar masses seems to be orbiting a star of about 20-40 solar masses.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cygnus_X-1

Note that, as livect points out: even the most massive object will orbit its smaller companions. Earth orbits around a point called the barycentre of the Earth-Moon system. The Sun orbits the Sun-Jupiter barycentre.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barycenter#Animations

[URL]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Orbit3.gif[/URL]
 
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1. Will a black hole revolve around a non-black hole object with greater mass?

Yes, a black hole can revolve around a non-black hole object with greater mass. This is known as a binary black hole system, where two objects are bound together by their mutual gravitational attraction.

2. How does the greater mass of a non-black hole object affect the black hole's orbit?

The greater mass of a non-black hole object will cause the black hole to orbit faster and closer to the non-black hole object. This is due to the stronger gravitational pull of the more massive object on the black hole.

3. What happens if the non-black hole object gets too close to the black hole?

If the non-black hole object gets too close to the black hole, it can be torn apart by the black hole's strong gravitational forces. This process is known as spaghettification.

4. Can a black hole orbit around multiple non-black hole objects?

Yes, a black hole can orbit around multiple non-black hole objects. This is known as a multiple body system and is a common occurrence in the universe.

5. Is it possible for a black hole to be the non-black hole object with greater mass?

Yes, it is possible for a black hole to be the non-black hole object with greater mass in a binary system. This is known as a hierarchical triple system, where one black hole orbits around two smaller objects.

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