- #1
haynewp
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Why are some black holes pink? Are pink holes pink on the inside?
Why Do Some Black Holes Appear Pink?
- Thread starter haynewp
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In summary: It has to do with the way that synchrotron radiation behaves. Quasars are special types of galaxies that are particularly good at churning out this type of radiation. The radiation is produced when electrons are accelerated to incredibly high speeds by the enormous gravitational field of the black hole. As they approach the speed of light, they emit a fantastic type of light called synchrotron radiation. In summary, quasars emit radiation that looks pink to the naked eye, due to the synchrotron radiation that is produced.
- #2
mathman
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Could you give a reference? I never heard of black holes being other than black. Are you talking about Hawking radiation?
- #3
neutroncount
Are you sure you weren't reading a Cosmo article? Black holes get their name from the fact that you can see them. You can see the effects they have on their surroundings. An accretion disk can be found giving off all sorts of EM radiation around an event horizon of a black hole. Where did you get pink from?
- #4
Ambitwistor
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Presumably the poster is referring to this:
http://msowww.anu.edu.au/~pfrancis/pink/
http://arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0107235
It refers to quasars that radiate in a way that would look pink to the naked eye. Of course, the radiation does not actually come from the black hole itself, but from outside of it. They theorize that this is due to particular properties of synchrotron radiation (produced by electrons outside the black hole accelerated by the hole's magnetic field).
http://msowww.anu.edu.au/~pfrancis/pink/
http://arXiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0107235
It refers to quasars that radiate in a way that would look pink to the naked eye. Of course, the radiation does not actually come from the black hole itself, but from outside of it. They theorize that this is due to particular properties of synchrotron radiation (produced by electrons outside the black hole accelerated by the hole's magnetic field).
- #5
haynewp
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http://www.chron.com/content/interactive/space/astronomy/news/1999/ds/990507.html
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- #6
Phobos
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Welcome to Physics Forums, haynewp! 
Gotta read your own link. It says..
A black hole is a singularity (point). No light escapes that. (Actually, no light escapes from the event horizon around the singularity...which is merely the distance from the singularity where the escape velocity is the speed of light.) So the singularity plus the volume within the event horizon is black. Now stuff falling into that region is being immensely accelerated (due to the extreme gravity). That creates lots of heat which therefore gives off light. Once that shining stuff hits the event horizon, it goes black. So "active" black holes can be imagined as a central black region with a spinning, glowing disk of material around it (stuff spiraling into the hole). An inactive black hole has no such "accretion disk" around it (no nearby matter to eat).
So, the question that remains is, why is the nearby stuff glowing pink?
Gotta read your own link. It says..
A black hole is a singularity (point). No light escapes that. (Actually, no light escapes from the event horizon around the singularity...which is merely the distance from the singularity where the escape velocity is the speed of light.) So the singularity plus the volume within the event horizon is black. Now stuff falling into that region is being immensely accelerated (due to the extreme gravity). That creates lots of heat which therefore gives off light. Once that shining stuff hits the event horizon, it goes black. So "active" black holes can be imagined as a central black region with a spinning, glowing disk of material around it (stuff spiraling into the hole). An inactive black hole has no such "accretion disk" around it (no nearby matter to eat).
So, the question that remains is, why is the nearby stuff glowing pink?
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1. Why do some black holes appear pink?
Black holes are known for their ability to absorb all light and appear completely black. However, certain black holes have been observed to appear pink. This is due to the phenomenon known as "Hawking radiation." As matter falls into a black hole, it heats up and emits radiation. This radiation can sometimes be pink in color, giving the black hole a pink appearance.
2. Is the pink color of black holes permanent?
No, the pink color of black holes is not permanent. As more matter falls into the black hole, the Hawking radiation will increase and the color may shift to a brighter or darker shade of pink. In some cases, the black hole may even appear white as it continues to emit more radiation.
3. Are all black holes capable of emitting pink radiation?
No, not all black holes emit pink radiation. The size and age of the black hole play a role in the amount and color of radiation emitted. Smaller and younger black holes are more likely to emit pink radiation, while larger and older black holes may emit other colors or no radiation at all.
4. Can the color of a black hole change over time?
Yes, the color of a black hole can change over time. As mentioned before, as more matter falls into the black hole, the amount and color of radiation emitted can change. Additionally, as black holes merge with other black holes, the resulting black hole may have a different color due to the combination of radiation from each individual black hole.
5. Is the pink color of a black hole a sign of danger?
No, the pink color of a black hole is not a sign of danger. It is simply a result of the Hawking radiation emitted from the black hole. While black holes are known for their extreme gravitational pull, the color of the black hole does not indicate any specific level of danger.
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