Why are Black Holes such massive gravity pools?

In summary, black holes are massive gravity pools because their mass is inside the event horizon and has nothing to do with whether or not they are still feeding. Gravity is a result of the curvature of space-time and is not the same as matter. Gravitational waves travel at the speed of light and can also travel through black holes.
  • #1
Rhadiel
2
0
Hi guys,

Simple question for my first post.

If nothing escapes Black Holes, how come they're such massive gravity pools?

While I can accept that in certain cases the gravity may come from all the mass near the event horizon that did not yet got through (center of Galaxies where it constantly swallows stars), what about wandering Black Holes that don't have a ready supply of matter around them?

Does this mean that the gravitons / gravity waves travel faster than c?

Thanks!
 
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  • #2
Rhadiel said:
If nothing escapes Black Holes, how come they're such massive gravity pools?

Odd question ... nothing escapes because they ARE such massive "gravity pools" as you call them.

While I can accept that in certain cases the gravity may come from all the mass near the event horizon that did not yet got through (center of Galaxies where it constantly swallows stars), what about wandering Black Holes that don't have a ready supply of matter around them?
The mass is INSIDE the event horizon and has nothing to do with whether or not the black hole is still feeding.

Does this mean that the gravitons / gravity waves travel faster than c?

Thanks!

I understand your question, I think. Because nothing can escape a black hole, you wonder how it is that the mass inside the black hole can have any effect outside the EH. This is more complicate than I can deal with but has been discussed on this forum many time. Try a forum search.

NOT a good idea on this forum to suggest that anything can travel faster than c.
 
  • #3
Thanks, phinds. You perfectly understood my predicament.

I did a search but I might not have used the correct keywords. I'll try again and be more patient going through the results, I might have overlooked.
 
  • #4
You mean how can gravity escape the black hole?Well, gravity isn't matter. It is a distortion in space-time. Gravity simply "is"
 
  • #5
Rhadiel said:
Hi guys,

Simple question for my first post.

If nothing escapes Black Holes, how come they're such massive gravity pools?

Gravity is a result of the curvature of the metric of spacetime. But the metric isn't "something" in the sense that light or matter is "something". It's the framework everything else is within. As such, nothing is escaping the black hole.

Does this mean that the gravitons / gravity waves travel faster than c?

No. Gravitational waves travel through the metric at c. They also travel through black holes. (Or another way to look at it is that the gravitational wave warps the event horizon in a way that it emits the same wave. At least that's what's been explained to me)
 

1. What is a black hole?

A black hole is a region in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, including light, can escape. It is formed when a massive star collapses in on itself, leaving behind a remnant with an incredibly high density and strong gravitational force.

2. How are black holes detected?

Black holes are detected through their effects on nearby matter and light. This can include distortions in the paths of stars and galaxies, as well as the emission of x-rays and other forms of radiation from the hot gas and debris swirling around the black hole.

3. How does gravity work in a black hole?

In a black hole, gravity is so strong that it warps and distorts space and time. This means that objects, including light, will follow curved paths around the black hole instead of traveling in straight lines. The closer an object gets to the black hole, the stronger the gravitational pull becomes.

4. Can anything escape a black hole?

Once an object passes the event horizon (the point of no return) of a black hole, it cannot escape. This includes light, which is why black holes appear "black" and invisible to the naked eye. However, some particles can escape through processes such as Hawking radiation.

5. Can black holes merge?

Yes, black holes can merge together if they are close enough to each other. When this happens, the resulting black hole has a greater mass and a stronger gravitational pull than the two individual black holes combined. This phenomenon is known as a "black hole merger" and has been observed by gravitational wave detectors.

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