Lane Weinberg Presents: Black Holes AND White Holes?

I’m sure you have all heard of the enigma that is a Black Hole. The theory of these ‘dark stars’ as they were once called was first put forth by the geologist John Michell in a letter to an associate in the Royal Society around 1783. Michell stated:

“If the semi-diameter of a sphere of the same density as the Sun were to exceed that of the Sun in the proportion of 500 to 1, a body falling from an infinite height towards it would have acquired at its surface greater velocity than that of light, and consequently supposing light to be attracted by the same force in proportion to its vis inertiae, with other bodies, all light emitted from such a body would be made to return towards it by its own proper gravity.

—John Michell (courtesy of Wikipedia.org)

The idea of black holes has been hotly contested since Michell first suggested their possibility. Einstein addressed their existence in his theory of relativity, as did Karl Schwarzschild later that year. Their evidence showed that gravity has an effect on the motion of light. Other great minds that attempted to tackle the complex physics that would prove these events were possible include Johannes Droste, Arthur Eddington and Lev Landau among others. The information they compiled is far beyond my mathematic-lacking brain, but I suggest reading up on these great theorists yourself.

The year 1958 is when the research and speculations of black holes truly took off under David Finkelstein, Martin Kruskal, Brandon Carter, Werner Israel, D.C. Robinson and Ezra Newman. Though these great thinkers began the Golden Age of General Relativity, the mastermind himself, Stephen Hawking took the hypothesis to a whole new level. With his associates, Hawking devised the laws of black hole mechanics describing the phenomenon’s behavior much like the law of thermodynamics by relating surface gravity to temperature, mass to energy, and area to degeneration.

Having a number of history lessons out of the way, now we can discuss what black holes actually are. They are quite literally a rip or hole in the fabric of the space-time continuum. Once science fiction has now become science-fact, as up until the last 2 decades black holes were dismissed as purely fantasy with many astronomers denouncing Hawking for suggesting they existed in reality. Now the actualities of these holes are not only widely accepted but have been found at the center of galaxies in a behemoth size.

Many different types of black holes are shown to exist, but we will be addressing black holes in a general sense. They are formed in a number of ways from the gravitational collapses of stars, high-energy collisions, and some having been created shortly after the big bang. The most significant characteristic of black holes is its event horizon, which is the boundary where nothing can escape, whether matter or light. However, Stephen Hawking has stated there is a theoretical process that could cause light to escape the event horizon. The term “event horizon” is used to show that if an event occurs past that boundary, the event cannot be seen from outside the horizon. The most startling part of this is at the horizon time is non-existent. Time simply stops, which is perhaps why a black hole is defined as a rip in the space-time continuum.

Where does a black hole lead? What happens to matter that passes over the event horizon? Numerous conjectures have been put forth, some stating according to the laws of physics any matter entering the hole is stretched into oblivion, crushed into nothing, or land somewhere else. After all, if there is a hole, doesn’t that hole or tunnel so to speak have an exit? This thought is also addressed with some astronomers believing there is no exit point at the opposite end of a black hole, where as others concede there is an exit, but that nothing and no one would make it through having either been crushed or stretched into nothingness. By stretching, I mean that matter is pulled apart to its most basic form, as would happen if one accelerated to the speed of light, or that’s the theory.

Now if black holes do have an exit point then what is that point? It’s called a white hole, and is impossible to enter from the outside, as everything within including light and matter are shot out after having traveled through a black hole. This is almost impossible to prove as we have never witnessed a white hole and the theory is that one of these holes would lead to either a different dimension, reality or universe (which is addressed by the theory of Multiverses).

Stephen Hawking, who I would call the master of black holes, has stated the reverse of a black hole would again be a black hole, suggesting the two types are in fact one and the same. A new approach to black holes may elaborate upon the nature of white holes. Researchers have suggested when the formation of a black hole occurs; that a big bang takes place at the core, creating a whole new universe that expands into additional dimensions beyond the universe where the black hole had originally formed. This is also related to the Multiverse Theory.

The audacity the universe has to play games on us is staggering, but humor aside, black and white holes are some of the most unique features to the cosmos. I personally hope one day we will find a white hole somewhere out there. Will it lead to another dimension or universe where up is down and down is up? I don’t know, but keep in mind not long ago black holes were thought to be the fodder of science-fiction writers!

As always keep your eyes to the sky, and try not to get sucked into a black hole!

Best regards,

Lane Weinberg