What happens if you fall into a black hole, according to NASA

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

A black hole is truly one of the most mysterious celestial phenomena known to man. Not only are they physically shrouded in darkness, but their creation leaves many questions that science is partly unable to answer. However, black holes exist alongside the physical laws of the universe, and some answers are definitely within reach.

What are black holes? What is the science around their existence? And what would happen if you fell into one of them? Click through this gallery to find the answers!

What are they?

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

Black holes are regions in space where gravity is so intense that nothing, not even light, can escape from them. They are sometimes hundreds of times bigger than our Sun, and are invisible!

Event horizon

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

The event horizon is the boundary around a black hole beyond which nothing can return. Once an object crosses this threshold, it is inevitably drawn towards the singularity and cannot escape the black hole's gravitational pull.

Types

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

There are several types of black holes, including stellar black holes formed from collapsing stars and even supermassive black holes found at galaxy centers.

Stellar black holes

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

Stellar black holes are formed from the remnants of massive stars. When such a star exhausts its nuclear fuel, it undergoes a supernova explosion, and the core may collapse into a black hole if it is massive enough.

Quasars

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

Quasars are extremely bright and distant objects powered by supermassive black holes at the centers of young galaxies. The intense radiation comes from the buildup of matter, which releases vast amounts of energy as it falls into the black hole.

Accretion disks

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

As matter falls into a black hole, it forms an accretion disk, which heats up and emits X-rays and other radiation as it spirals inward. This matter can be made of dust particles or even light itself.

Information paradox

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

The black hole information paradox questions whether information that falls into a black hole is lost forever or somehow preserved. This challenges our understanding of physics, since we have yet to grasp the full extent of what lies inside these celestial bodies.

Jet emissions

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

Some black holes produce powerful jets of particles and radiation that shoot out from their poles. These jets can extend for thousands of light-years and are thought to be powered by the black hole's rotation and magnetic fields.

Simulation

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

Earlier this year, NASA created a simulation of what it would look like to fall into a supermassive black hole that is 4.3 million times the mass of our Sun. That is equivalent to the black hole currently at the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

Image credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman and B. Powell

Powerful computing

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

A typical laptop would have taken decades to create the simulation, yet the Discover supercomputer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center was able to perform the feat in five days, using only 0.3% of its processing power. But the question still remains: what would you experience if you fell into a black hole?

Increasing temperature

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

The accretion disk of the black hole, composed of matter spiraling in, would be incredibly hot. As you get closer, you would likely be exposed to intense radiation, heating you up to fatal temperatures as you are pulled closer.

Time from outside

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

Due to the intense gravitational field, time dilation becomes significant. To an outside observer, it would appear as though you are slowing down as you fall into the black hole, until you ultimately seem to freeze at the edge of the event horizon without crossing it.

Point of no return

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

From your perspective, you would pass the event horizon without noticing any immediate changes. However, once crossed, there is no turning back, and you are inevitably drawn towards the singularity. At this point, you would see nothing more than the fading light from the accretion disk around the black hole.

Image credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/J. Schnittman and B. Powell

Radiation exposure

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

The infall would expose you to increasing levels of radiation from the accretion disk and other matter being pulled into the black hole. This radiation could be lethal long before you physically reach the singularity.

Theoretical end point

What are they?, Event horizon, Stellar black holes, Accretion disks, Information paradox, Jet emissions, Simulation, Powerful computing, Increasing temperature, Time from outside, Point of no return, Radiation exposure, Theoretical end point

Near the singularity, the laws of physics as we know them cease to function. No one knows what exact conditions lie at the center of a black hole, but general relativity predicts that there would be infinite density and zero volume.

Post Related