![]() ![]() That’s what a black hole seems to do to time. Imagine taking a sheet of paper and joining the two ends to form a loop. A black hole bends time so much that it can wrap back on itself. What about the past? This is where things get truly interesting. If you get close enough to the centre of the black hole, your clock will tick slower, but you should still be able to escape so long as you don’t cross the event horizon. If you want to jump into the future of Earth, simply fly near a black hole and then return to Earth. In this way, black holes can be used to travel to the future. One year near a black hole could mean 80 years on Earth, as you may have seen illustrated in the movie Interstellar. A clock that is near a massive object will tick slower than one that is near a much less massive object.Ī clock near a black hole will tick very slowly compared to one on Earth. The point at which it gets so steep that light can’t escape is called the event horizon.Įvent horizons aren’t just interesting for would-be time travellers: they’re also interesting for philosophers, because they have implications for how we understand the nature of time. The valley created by a black hole gets steeper and steeper as you approach it from a distance. It’s also why light can’t escape a black hole: the sides of the valley are so steep that light isn’t going fast enough to climb out. That’s why, when you get close enough to any massive object, including a black hole, you fall towards it. When objects come near, they fall into the valley. The more massive an object is, the more space is stretched and bent around it.Ī massive object creates a kind of valley in space. Matter and energy bend and stretch space. Stretching spaceĪlbert Einstein’s general theory of relativity tells us matter and energy have a curious effect on the universe. Incidentally, that’s why black holes are black: we can’t bounce light off a black hole the way we might bounce a torch light off a tree in the dark. That’s impressive, since light is the fastest thing known to science! The gravitational field of a black hole is so strong that even light can’t escape it. That’s why we build rockets: we have to travel very fast to break out of Earth’s gravity. A gravitational field is what keeps us stuck to Earth, and what keeps Earth revolving around the Sun.Īs a rule of thumb, the more massive an object is, the stronger its gravitational field.Įarth’s gravitational field makes it extremely difficult to get to space. Like planets and stars, black holes have gravitational fields around them. Black holesĪ black hole is an extremely massive object that is typically formed when a dying star collapses in on itself. But, even leaving that small detail aside, attempting to travel into the past using a black hole might be the last thing you ever do. ![]() But don’t expect to be heading back to visit the dinosaurs any time soon.Īt present, we don’t have spacecraft that could get us anywhere near a black hole. ‘Agra’ isn’t for the faint-hearted – and director Kanu Behl won’t have it any other wayīlack holes form natural time machines that allow travel to both the past and the future.Hockey, FIH Pro League: Fit again, Tokyo hero Simranjeet Singh gunning to make up for lost time.Why India’s privileged citizens are cheerleaders for surveillance tech.‘2018’ review: A heart-tugging Kerala story.As the noose tightens around Imran Khan, he faces the most serious test of his political career.Corazon, Angel, Donita live in Singapore as domestic workers.‘A cliff of clay called home’: What a Tibetan prisoner remembers of his motherland’s ancient culture.Officer suspended after he gets 21 lakh litres of water drained from reservoir to retrieve his phone.Rush Hour podcast: BJP supplies ‘WhatsApp history’ to back up its Nehru sceptre story.Remembering the first major Carnatic music concert in the United States.‘City of Dreams’ season 3 review: Political drama is running out of ways to deliver the shocks.HS Prannoy: Lin Dan and Lee Chong Wei once in-a-generation athletes, cherished playing against them. ![]()
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