How Are Black Holes Formed and What Are Their Key Facts?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion centers on the formation of black holes, exploring various theories and models regarding their origins, including the processes involved in stellar evolution and collapse. Participants also touch upon the definitions and characteristics of black holes, as well as the ongoing research and debates surrounding their existence and formation mechanisms.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Debate/contested
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification

Main Points Raised

  • Some participants propose that black holes form through direct collapse or from the remnants of dying stars, suggesting that primordial black holes may have formed shortly after the Big Bang.
  • Others argue that when a star's escape velocity exceeds the speed of light, it leads to the formation of a black hole, emphasizing the role of gravitational forces.
  • A later reply questions the accuracy of the claim that stars collapse; instead, it is suggested that massive stars explode, with only the core collapsing into a black hole.
  • Some participants mention that there are three main theories regarding black hole formation: the collapse of a stellar core, direct collapse of primordial black holes, and the merger of two preexisting black holes.
  • There are conflicting views on the existence of numerous theories about black holes, with some asserting that there are not many conflicting theories regarding their formation.
  • One participant describes the process of a massive star's life cycle, detailing how it transitions from a stellar nebula to a supernova, potentially leading to a black hole or neutron star.
  • Another participant highlights the complexity of black hole formation, noting that additional mass can cause a neutron star to collapse into a black hole, and that collisions between neutron stars can also result in black hole formation.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express multiple competing views on how black holes are formed, with no consensus reached on the mechanisms involved or the number of theories regarding their existence. The discussion remains unresolved, with ongoing debates about the details of the processes described.

Contextual Notes

Some claims rely on specific definitions of terms like "escape velocity" and "black hole," which may not be universally accepted. There are also unresolved mathematical steps and assumptions regarding the processes of stellar evolution and collapse.

  • #31
Well on physics we have rule what says: when objects mass is very big then it have's strong gravity so black hole must be have very big mass:biggrin:
 
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  • #32
SteamKing said:
Sometimes, even if a dead star leaves a neutron star behind, this star can collect enough additional mass from surrounding gas to collapse into a black hole.

It's also possible for two neutron stars to collide and, because their combined mass is so great, only a black hole is left behind.

Not so. The most massive neutron star which has been observed is about 2 solar masses. The smallest black hole observed is about 5 solar masses. Draw your own conclusions.
 
  • #33
Bernie G said:
Not so. The most massive neutron star which has been observed is about 2 solar masses. The smallest black hole observed is about 5 solar masses. Draw your own conclusions.

There may be BHs which are smaller than 5 solar masses, but we just haven't observed them. There's no violation of any fundamental physics laws if smaller BHs exist.

Two neutron stars have been shown in simulation to merge into a single object which forms a BH.

http://www.iflscience.com/space/what-happens-when-neutron-stars-collide
 
  • #34
SteamKing said:
There may be BHs which are smaller than 5 solar masses, but we just haven't observed them. There's no violation of any fundamental physics laws if smaller BHs exist.

Two neutron stars have been shown in simulation to merge into a single object which forms a BH.

http://www.iflscience.com/space/what-happens-when-neutron-stars-collide
Bhs smaller than 5 sm are possible.Those bh are so light than few clues are released ( x ray...) so maybe in the future we will find super light bhs.
 
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  • #35
Gravity effects the entire electromagnetic spectrum, not just photons or objects with mass, correct? Therefore, would not the gravity of a black hole, once the event horizon is crossed, also "consume" infrared radiation? If that is true, than would not the temperature of a black hole at its event horizon always be absolute zero? Would that not contradict quantum field theory in curved space-time that predicts that event horizons emit radiation like a black body with a finite temperature?
 

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