...yeah, don't they eat all the light?
Yes, but they also create a gravitational lens, and it's possible to see the light from behind the black hole, that has been warped by it and bent. Einstein predicted this, but now we know.
To understand this, think about a lunar eclipse. During an eclipse, the moon turns blood red, which used to be considered a bad omen.
The reason is that the Earth is blocking direct light, but red light that is refracted by the atmosphere can still get there and reflect. Our atmosphere is filtering out every color but red. (This is why the sky is blue).
While it's not the same effect, it can help understand what might happen to light on the other side of a black hole.
No comments:
Post a Comment