Is it possible for a black hole to eat an entire galaxy?

AI Thread Summary
Black holes cannot "eat" entire galaxies as they do not function like cosmic vacuum cleaners; instead, they are massive objects around which stars orbit stably. The concept of a black hole consuming an entire galaxy contradicts the 1% mass rule, suggesting that while black holes can grow, they are unlikely to dominate the universe completely. The stars within galaxies maintain stable orbits, preventing them from being drawn into black holes over reasonable timeframes. The analogy of the Sun not consuming everything in the solar system illustrates this point. Ultimately, while black holes can grow, the complete consumption of a galaxy is improbable.
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Is it possible for a black hole to "eat" an entire galaxy?

Is it possible for a black hole to "eat" an entire galaxy?
 
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Is it possible for a black hole to "eat" an entire galaxy? If so, what about the 1% mass rule? It would seem at some point the universe would be nothing but black holes, thereby after succumbing to evaporation
 
The universe is doomed.
 
I guess it would be possible, but it wouldn't be likely. Black holes are not cosmic vacuum cleaners. They don't suck everything around them in. The are just really massive objects. So while the center of most galaxies are believed to contain supermassive black holes, the stars in the galaxy are in stable orbits around the center and there is no reason to expect those orbits to decay in any reasonable amount of time.

Consider this similar question: is our Sun going to "eat" everything in the solar system? No. It won't.
 

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