• Question: How do we know about black holes if no one has ever been in one??? :)

    Asked by madsmith98 to Anil, Blanka, Cees, Emma, Mike on 25 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Michael Cook

      Michael Cook answered on 25 Jun 2012:

      In a sense, we don’t. No-one has travelled even near to a black hole. However, scientists can use mathematics and beliefs about the way the universe works to try and work out what might happen in or near a black hole.

      Even with lots of mathematical work, though, it’s not easy. We make lots of calculations about planets, stars, and other far-off objects, but black holes are one of the most extreme things in physics! Debates still go on about what happens to matter that gets sucked into a black hole, and what (if anything) comes out of a black hole.

      I’m not sure I’d want to go into one ‘for science’. I’m happier with computers. 😉

    • Photo: Blanka Sengerova

      Blanka Sengerova answered on 26 Jun 2012:

      It’s a bit like the questions about the centre of the earth, the composition of the sun, the time when the earth formed… We can’t actually go and see for ourselves, but we can use indirect ways of measuring them (for example telescopes, radiation and similar). So theories can be made about all these questions – of course we don’t know for sure but all science carries with itself an aspect of uncertainty, that’s part of the fabric of the beast…

    • Photo: Emma Trantham

      Emma Trantham answered on 1 Jul 2012:

      As Blanka and Mike said, we can’t know much for definite about black holes because we can’t study them directly. What scientists do is use other things that they do know about and then apply those principles/equations etc. to black holes. It means that we only have a “best guess” what happens but it is likely to be pretty close.

      I know I wouldn’t want to go and investigate one at first hand even if I could! 😉

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