NASA has always been interested in black holes, but… what about white holes? Yes, you’ve read right, white hole! This is the new ‘’discovery’’ that will change everything we know about the universe. Black holes have been considered a powerful place in the universe where everything disappeared. However, these new white holes are totally the opposite because they don’t absorb, they expel.
How mysterious is the universe and how wonderful is that NASA keeps researching it so that we could know more about the universe. So, let’s start and see what these white holes are all about!
What’s exactly a black hole?
In case you are not very sure about what black holes are, they are places in the universe that absorb everything from light to time. Nothing can escape from them! They are called black holes because we cannot see them. Until now, it was believed that whatever got to black holes would never come back. According to Albert Einstein, the law of physics doesn’t work as we thought in these places.
Black holes have always been a paramount topic of research for NASA because they are the perfect lead to make them understand much better how the universe really works.
Quantum mechanics opens a new possibility
Some British scientists tried quantum mechanics to study black holes. Quantum mechanics analyzes tiny, tiny things the human eye cannot reach, for example, atoms or electrons. This use of quantum mechanics shocked scientists since they thought that black holes did not really destroy, but transform. That’s how the white holes theory came about.
White holes
Even though they are named ‘white holes’ it doesn’t mean they are white, the reason behind its name is they are opposite to black holes in what they do. White holes don’t absorb everything that comes into its path, but they expel it.
White holes are not something new, there have been references about them in mathematics since Einstein times, but now is when scientists are closer to conclude the white holes theory.
NASA’s advanced technology
These black holes need specific technology to be seen and here is when NASA makes use of its technology. Scientists have created special telescopes to capture what happens in their surroundings. Let’s talk about the three telescopes used in this study:
- The Chandra X-ray Observatory: this telescope captures x-ray near black holes thanks to the emission of x-ray coming from near dust and gas.
- Hubble Space and James Webb Telescopes: these are used to see galaxies and some of them contain a supermassive black hole inside. The Hubble captures visible light and the James Webb captures far away and dark things.
Is this any relevant?
Absolutely yes! NASA and many scientists had in mind a theory about black holes that is now starting to change. The thought of black holes as places with no exit is over, and it is possible the theory of being just a part of time, light and many more go through.
This is paramount for the many studies on black holes and how the universe works, because this could lead to many other possibilities that scientists aren’t aware of and discover new aspects of this unknown place.
Everytime a new discovery or study shows up, we are more aware of the functioning of the universe and how it affects us. It is remarkable NASA and all the scientists’ jobs involved in the study so that we can have a closer image of what the universe is. Also, it means a whole bunch of possibilities for other scientists to use their theories and research to investigate other aspects concerning the universe.