NASA has surprised the world with a new simulation that shows what it would be like to enter a black hole, answering a question that has intrigued scientists and space enthusiasts for years.
Powered by a supercomputer, this simulation offers the best guess based on current data about what could happen when crossing the event horizon of a black hole, an experience no human has ever had.
The astrophysicist Jeremy Schnittman of the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, responsible for this simulation, explained that the goal was to connect the mathematics of relativity with the possible consequences in the real universe. The simulation presents two different scenarios: one in which a camera (representing an astronaut) fails at the event horizon and is ejected, and another in which it crosses the boundary, sealing its fate.
Black holes, the densest known objects in the universe, are mathematically described as singularities: points of infinite density. The simulation shows the event horizon, a closed sphere in which not even light can escape due to intense gravity. As a dummy camera approaches the black hole, a ring of photons is observed, an image produced by light orbiting the black hole before escaping.
The simulation, carried out on the supercomputer Discover from NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, is a unique achievement. Calculating this simulation on a typical laptop would have taken more than a decade, but the supercomputer managed to do it in just 5 days using the 0.3% of its processing power.
This advance joins other recent discoveries about black holes. In 2019 and 2022he Event Horizon Telescope produced the first images of giant black holes in the centers of M87 and the Milky Wayrevealing a bright ring of hot gas orbiting a circular area of darkness.
The study of black holes has led to important discoveries about the formation and evolution of the universe. For example, supermassive black hole mergers produce gravitational waves that could be detected with a space observatory much larger than their Earth-based counterparts.
Although this simulation brings us closer to understanding the mysteries of black holes, they remain one of the most enigmatic and fascinating phenomena in the cosmos. The continued exploration of these cosmic objects remains a priority for NASA and the global scientific community.
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