What if the Halo Ring from "Halo" turned into a blackhole?

In summary: I didn't say the gravitational field; I said the event horizon. The event horizon can't take the shape of a ring; it can't have a "hole" in the middle of it. Or, to put it another way, if light can't escape to infinity from a ring-shaped region, it won't be able to escape to infinity from the "hole" in the center of that ring-shaped region either.
  • #1
Justice Hunter
98
7
Just a question originating from pure curiosity.

But what would happen if we had a large ring in outer-space, akin to the ring world in the game "Halo", so massive that it's minutes from collapsing into a black hole.

H2A_Mission_DeltaHalo.jpg


If it were to uniformly gain mass on all parts of its structure, how exactly would it collapse into a black hole, would it even be spherical in shape? or would the black hole take the form of a ring. I'm just morbidly curious as to what would occur if such an object reached critical densities.
 
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  • #2
I'm no physics expert but I don't see how your premises could be physically valid. That is, how could a "ring" that massive not collapse into its center?
 
  • #3
The geometry of forming black holes can be complicated, and does not have to be spherical.
To avoid a "normal" collapse of the structure, you would have to add a lot of mass everywhere at the same time - there are fundamental limits on material strength, and they don't allow to get too close to black holes.
 
  • #4
There's a limit to how close a stable structure can be to a black hole. For a spherically symmetric structure, its radius can't be less than 9/8 of the horizon radius of a black hole with the same mass.
 
  • #5
mfb said:
The geometry of forming black holes can be complicated, and does not have to be spherical.
To avoid a "normal" collapse of the structure, you would have to add a lot of mass everywhere at the same time - there are fundamental limits on material strength, and they don't allow to get too close to black holes.

So then if such a ring structure would collapse, given the right initial conditions it would be a ring shaped black hole? at least initially?
 
  • #6
Justice Hunter said:
if such a ring structure would collapse, given the right initial conditions it would be a ring shaped black hole?

No. The shape of the hole's horizon might not be spherical (or ellipsoidal if the hole was rotating) to start with (though it would fairly rapidly become so as gravitational waves were emitted to remove any asymmetries), but it would not have a "hole" in the center the way the ring did.
 
  • #7
PeterDonis said:
No. The shape of the hole's horizon might not be spherical (or ellipsoidal if the hole was rotating) to start with (though it would fairly rapidly become so as gravitational waves were emitted to remove any asymmetries), but it would not have a "hole" in the center the way the ring did.

Any reason why the gravitational field wouldn't take the shape of the ring?
 
  • #8
Justice Hunter said:
Any reason why the gravitational field wouldn't take the shape of the ring?

I didn't say the gravitational field; I said the event horizon. The event horizon can't take the shape of a ring; it can't have a "hole" in the middle of it. Or, to put it another way, if light can't escape to infinity from a ring-shaped region, it won't be able to escape to infinity from the "hole" in the center of that ring-shaped region either.
 

FAQ: What if the Halo Ring from "Halo" turned into a blackhole?

1. What would happen to the characters in the Halo universe if the Halo Ring turned into a blackhole?

The characters in the Halo universe would most likely be pulled into the blackhole and crushed by its immense gravitational force. They would not be able to escape unless they had some type of advanced technology or were able to travel faster than the speed of light.

2. How would the blackhole affect the surrounding planets and other celestial bodies?

The blackhole would have a strong gravitational pull on nearby planets and other celestial bodies, causing them to orbit around it. It could also potentially disrupt the orbits of other planets and cause them to collide or be pulled into the blackhole.

3. Would the blackhole continue to grow and consume everything in its path?

Yes, the blackhole would continue to grow as it consumes more and more matter. It would also emit powerful radiation and jets of high-energy particles as it feeds, making it even more dangerous for anything in its vicinity.

4. Could the blackhole be stopped or reversed?

As a scientist, I cannot say for certain if the blackhole could be stopped or reversed. It would require advanced technology and a deep understanding of blackholes and their behavior. However, in the Halo universe, the Master Chief and other characters have powerful weapons and technology that could potentially be used to counter the blackhole's effects.

5. How would the blackhole affect the fabric of space and time?

Blackholes are known to warp and distort the fabric of space and time, so it is likely that the Halo Ring turning into a blackhole would have a similar effect. This could potentially lead to disruptions in time and space travel and make it difficult for anyone to escape the blackhole's grasp.

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