reply to post by Ophiuchus 13
The idea of a "black hole", I think, goes something like this:
A star with enough mass(something like 4 solar masses and above), will, at the end of its fusion cycle, begin a rapid implosion process, greatly
compressing the remnants of its mass, which will mostly be iron. The implosion is caused by the incredible amount of gravity inherent in the mass of
the star, and was previously held at bay by the heat and violence and explosive energy of the ongoing fusion taking place(so while "burning", a star
is actually balancing between two powerful forces--the tendency of the fusion to explode, and the tendency of the gravity to implode). When the
fusion is done, gravity takes over. There is a massive implosion of all the remaining mass, which causes a massive jolt to the actual structure of
the atoms in the mass. The gravity is so strong it
pushes the electrons of the atoms into the nuclei.
This causes two major events. One, the energy released from the breaking of the Weak Nuclear Force responsible for atomic structure is incredible,
and the resulting shockwave is so powerful it can last for ages, and expand many light years. That explosion is called a Supernova, and their
remnants are all over the place....Google "Planetary Nebulas".
The second major event caused by the catastrophic implosion is that the electrons, with their negative magnetic charges, are forced into merging with
the particles in the atomic nuclei, the protons and neutrons. This results in a extremely rapid shifting around of electrical charges in the
particles...some neutrons(which are electromagneticly neutral, hence the name) may absorb an electron and become, for a very short period, negatively
charged. If a Proton, which is positively charged, absorbs an electron, the charges cancel, and the proton-plus-electron becomes a neutron.
Temporary "negative" neutrons have their recently aquired charge canceled by protons that didn't get an electron.
Anyway, you basically end up with a #load of neutrons and nothing else. Neutrons are a "heavy" atomic particle, they've got lots of mass, but no
charge. So they can all sit
right next to each other, endlessly. As a normal atomic structure is actually a whole lot of empty space--a
little cluster of the heavies in the center, with the electrons flitting around unseen in the distance--this resulting mass of nothing but neutrons is
incredibly dense. The material is called Neutronium, and is the primary matter of Neutron Stars.
At this stage, a star with less than 3 or 4 solar masses would be done with its transformation. It's a really tiny ball of amazingly dense stuff
that is really hot from all the violent stuff that just happened, a million degrees C or so. It will cool off in a few thousand years, and unless
conditions are right for it to become a Pulsar, it will be dark, silent, and inert, radiating nothing. Incidentally, a cubic centimeter of neutronium
is postulated to have an earth-weight of tens of millions of
tons.
Needless to say, the surface gravity of such an object would be phenomenal. Millions of Gs. If the star had enough mass initially, then the surface
gravity will be high enough such that the escape velocity is higher than the speed of light. Hello, black hole.
Incidientally, the black holes in the OP are not
stellar black holes, otherwise known as a "Collapsar". They are closer to a "Collaxar".
A collapsed
galaxy. There are an estimated thirty million solar masses in one of them.
Great OP tho, I am a total geek for stuff like this. Can you tell?