Black holes 'attracting' light?

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SUMMARY

Black holes do not attract light in the traditional sense; instead, they bend spacetime, causing light to follow curved paths. This phenomenon occurs because gravity affects the geometry of space rather than the mass of light itself, which consists of massless photons. Understanding this concept is crucial for grasping the nature of gravity and its effects on light and other objects in the universe.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of general relativity
  • Basic knowledge of photons and their properties
  • Familiarity with the concept of spacetime
  • Awareness of gravitational effects on light
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the principles of general relativity
  • Explore the concept of spacetime curvature
  • Learn about gravitational lensing and its implications
  • Study the properties of photons in physics
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Astronomy enthusiasts, physics students, and anyone interested in understanding the relationship between gravity and light in the context of black holes.

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Black holes 'attracting' light?

I'm puzzled. If light is made up of photons and photons have no mass, how can black holes 'attract' light into themselves - surely gravity only acts on things with mass? I can't see how thinking of light as a wave would help with this either...

Sorry if the answer is very simple - I think I must be missing something obvious but it's annoying me!

Thanks!
 
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They don't. They kinda bend spacetime. The light goes straight, like light does. But the space is bent. That's basically what's going on for anything with gravity. Search Google and you'll find something that'll tell you all about it and give you a simple concept.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_hole
 
Ahhh, thank you for the link - that makes it clear!
 

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