From: Michael S. Lorrey (mike@lorrey.com)
Date: Wed Apr 28 1999 - 15:16:55 MDT
Gina Miller wrote:
> The well
> gets deeper and deeper until finally a hole is literally torn in the
> fabric of spacetime: the density of matter at the center becomes
> essentially inifinite, at least to the extent that Einstein's theory
> of gravity is still valid. Thus, what I mean by " a hole in the
> fabric of spacetime" is: a tiny region of space where the known laws
> of physics break down. A black hole is a region of space so tightly
> packed with matter, that nothing, not even light can escape. Hidden
> at its (crunchy?) center is a tear in the fabric of spacetime.
> Anything that falls into this region of space is irrevocably lost to
> the rest of the universe. No light can emerge or pass through this
> region, so it appears totally black. In some sense therefore, a black
> hole marks a boundary to spacetime: a horizon beyond which no one can
> see without travelling through it. This radius of no return is called
> the event horizon of the black hole.
There is no 'tear'. An object becomes a black hole when its mass is contained within a radius where the escape velocity is at or above light speed. It is still a physical object, and can be manipulated with ion guns and magnetic fields.
Mike Lorrey
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