1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:08,120 Imagine a place, a place in space, where gravity is so strong that it warps the fabric of space-time, 2 00:00:08,120 --> 00:00:09,880 trapping even light itself. 3 00:00:09,880 --> 00:00:10,880 Whoa! 4 00:00:10,880 --> 00:00:15,160 We're talking about black holes, one of the most fascinating and mysterious objects in 5 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:16,160 our universe. 6 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:17,160 Absolutely, they are. 7 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:22,160 Today, we're diving deep into black holes, how they form, the different kinds out there, 8 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:26,520 and what secrets they hold about the nature of gravity and the universe itself. 9 00:00:26,520 --> 00:00:27,640 Okay. 10 00:00:27,640 --> 00:00:30,480 Welcome to Cosmos and Apods Dace and Astronomy series. 11 00:00:30,480 --> 00:00:31,480 Yes. 12 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:33,480 I'm so excited to be exploring this with you today. 13 00:00:33,480 --> 00:00:34,480 Me too. 14 00:00:34,480 --> 00:00:36,000 So what exactly is a black hole? 15 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:37,000 Hmm. 16 00:00:37,000 --> 00:00:38,000 That's a great question. 17 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:39,800 The name is pretty descriptive. 18 00:00:39,800 --> 00:00:41,200 It is. 19 00:00:41,200 --> 00:00:44,320 But I suspect it's more than just an empty spot in space, right? 20 00:00:44,320 --> 00:00:45,320 Yeah, you're right. 21 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:46,320 It's much more. 22 00:00:46,320 --> 00:00:47,920 Much, much more than just a hole, yeah. 23 00:00:47,920 --> 00:00:48,920 More than a hole. 24 00:00:48,920 --> 00:00:49,920 Yeah, think of it as a region of space-time. 25 00:00:49,920 --> 00:00:50,920 Okay. 26 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:55,200 Where gravity is so intense that nothing, not even light, can escape. 27 00:00:55,200 --> 00:00:56,200 Oh, wow. 28 00:00:56,200 --> 00:01:01,680 Like a cosmic trap door with gravity so strong that it creates a point of no return. 29 00:01:01,680 --> 00:01:02,680 Intense. 30 00:01:02,680 --> 00:01:04,720 But how does something like that even form? 31 00:01:04,720 --> 00:01:05,720 I mean, how? 32 00:01:05,720 --> 00:01:10,920 Well, the most common way a black hole forms is from the death of a massive star. 33 00:01:10,920 --> 00:01:11,920 Yeah. 34 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:16,760 You see, stars, they're these giant furnaces that are constantly battling their own gravity 35 00:01:16,760 --> 00:01:20,600 using the energy produced by nuclear fusion in their cores. 36 00:01:20,600 --> 00:01:21,600 Right. 37 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:24,000 But eventually, that fuel runs out. 38 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:30,720 And when a star much more massive than our sun exhausts its fuel, it can no longer support 39 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:33,000 itself against its own gravity. 40 00:01:33,000 --> 00:01:36,880 The core collapses, creating a supernova explosion. 41 00:01:36,880 --> 00:01:37,880 Oh, wow. 42 00:01:37,880 --> 00:01:40,520 And what's left behind is a black hole. 43 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:42,920 So it's like the star implodes on itself. 44 00:01:42,920 --> 00:01:43,920 Exactly. 45 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:50,480 All that mass gets squeezed into an incredibly tiny point called a singularity. 46 00:01:50,480 --> 00:01:52,800 And that singularity, that's where things get really bizarre. 47 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:53,800 Oh, really? 48 00:01:53,800 --> 00:01:55,280 It's a point of infinite density. 49 00:01:55,280 --> 00:01:56,280 OK. 50 00:01:56,280 --> 00:01:58,480 Where our current laws of physics, they break down. 51 00:01:58,480 --> 00:01:59,480 Oh, wow. 52 00:01:59,480 --> 00:02:03,280 It's a place where we just don't have the tools yet to understand what's happening. 53 00:02:03,280 --> 00:02:06,480 Infinite density, I mean, that's hard to even wrap my head around. 54 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:07,480 I know. 55 00:02:07,480 --> 00:02:08,480 It's wild. 56 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:14,280 So we have these super dense points in space that just gobble up anything that gets too 57 00:02:14,280 --> 00:02:15,280 close. 58 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:16,280 Yeah. 59 00:02:16,280 --> 00:02:17,680 How do we even know they exist if we can't actually see them? 60 00:02:17,680 --> 00:02:18,680 I mean, light can't escape. 61 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:19,680 Yeah. 62 00:02:19,680 --> 00:02:20,680 All right. 63 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:21,960 So are we just blindly assuming they're out there? 64 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:23,640 That's a great question. 65 00:02:23,640 --> 00:02:26,880 And I mean, how do we? 66 00:02:26,880 --> 00:02:32,200 While we can't directly see a black hole, we can detect its presence by observing how 67 00:02:32,200 --> 00:02:34,520 it interacts with its surroundings. 68 00:02:34,520 --> 00:02:36,680 Think of it like seeing the footprints of a ghost. 69 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:42,600 OK, you can't see the ghost itself, but you know something's there based on the evidence 70 00:02:42,600 --> 00:02:43,600 it leaves behind. 71 00:02:43,600 --> 00:02:44,600 I see. 72 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:45,600 I see. 73 00:02:45,600 --> 00:02:46,600 OK. 74 00:02:46,600 --> 00:02:49,720 So what kind of footprints do black holes leave behind? 75 00:02:49,720 --> 00:02:51,200 What are we looking for? 76 00:02:51,200 --> 00:02:56,880 Well, one way we detect black holes is by observing their gravitational pull on nearby 77 00:02:56,880 --> 00:02:57,880 stars. 78 00:02:57,880 --> 00:03:04,880 So if a star is orbiting an invisible object that's incredibly massive and compact, well, 79 00:03:04,880 --> 00:03:08,080 that's a pretty strong indication that we're dealing with a black hole. 80 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:11,800 So astronomers, they look for stars that seem to be orbiting nothing. 81 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:12,800 They do. 82 00:03:12,800 --> 00:03:14,480 It's pretty amazing. 83 00:03:14,480 --> 00:03:16,040 That sounds like a tricky observation. 84 00:03:16,040 --> 00:03:17,040 It does. 85 00:03:17,040 --> 00:03:18,040 It does. 86 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:19,040 How do they even? 87 00:03:19,040 --> 00:03:20,040 It requires very precise measurements. 88 00:03:20,040 --> 00:03:21,080 Oh, wow. 89 00:03:21,080 --> 00:03:25,600 And it's a technique that's been used successfully to identify many black holes. 90 00:03:25,600 --> 00:03:26,640 OK. 91 00:03:26,640 --> 00:03:32,320 And in recent years, we've had another incredible tool at our disposal. 92 00:03:32,320 --> 00:03:33,320 Oh. 93 00:03:33,320 --> 00:03:34,320 Gravitational waves. 94 00:03:34,320 --> 00:03:35,320 Oh, yeah. 95 00:03:35,320 --> 00:03:36,320 I've heard about those. 96 00:03:36,320 --> 00:03:37,320 Have you? 97 00:03:37,320 --> 00:03:39,400 Those are ripples in space time, right? 98 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:40,400 That's right. 99 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:43,840 But how do those help us find black holes? 100 00:03:43,840 --> 00:03:50,480 Well, when massive objects like black holes collide, they create these ripples in space 101 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:53,920 time that travel outward at the speed of light. 102 00:03:53,920 --> 00:03:54,920 Wow. 103 00:03:54,920 --> 00:04:00,040 And we can detect these waves with incredibly sensitive instruments like LIGO and Virgo. 104 00:04:00,040 --> 00:04:03,640 So we can actually hear black holes colliding. 105 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:04,640 We can. 106 00:04:04,640 --> 00:04:05,640 It's pretty amazing. 107 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:06,640 That's incredible. 108 00:04:06,640 --> 00:04:10,240 I mean, it's just so much to learn about these. 109 00:04:10,240 --> 00:04:16,440 And these observations, they not only confirm the existence of black holes, but they also 110 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:20,160 give us amazing insights into their properties and behavior. 111 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:21,160 You got it. 112 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:24,560 So we've been talking about black holes forming from dying stars. 113 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:25,720 We have. 114 00:04:25,720 --> 00:04:28,560 But are all black holes created that way? 115 00:04:28,560 --> 00:04:29,560 Well. 116 00:04:29,560 --> 00:04:32,480 Is there only one size or flavor of black hole out there? 117 00:04:32,480 --> 00:04:34,840 I mean, that's where things get even more interesting. 118 00:04:34,840 --> 00:04:35,840 OK. 119 00:04:35,840 --> 00:04:37,360 Black holes come in a range of sizes. 120 00:04:37,360 --> 00:04:38,360 Oh, wow. 121 00:04:38,360 --> 00:04:41,760 And some of them formed in ways that we're still trying to fully understand. 122 00:04:41,760 --> 00:04:44,440 So what are the different types of black holes out there? 123 00:04:44,440 --> 00:04:45,680 I mean, what's out there? 124 00:04:45,680 --> 00:04:49,200 Well, the most common type are stellar black holes. 125 00:04:49,200 --> 00:04:50,920 OK, the ones we've been talking about. 126 00:04:50,920 --> 00:04:51,920 Yeah. 127 00:04:51,920 --> 00:04:54,960 They typically have a mass about three to 10 times that of our sun. 128 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:55,960 OK. 129 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:57,960 But then we have the real giants of the universe. 130 00:04:57,960 --> 00:04:58,960 Yeah. 131 00:04:58,960 --> 00:05:00,680 Supermassive black holes. 132 00:05:00,680 --> 00:05:01,680 Supermassive. 133 00:05:01,680 --> 00:05:02,680 Yeah. 134 00:05:02,680 --> 00:05:03,680 That sounds pretty intimidating. 135 00:05:03,680 --> 00:05:04,680 They are. 136 00:05:04,680 --> 00:05:05,680 Just how big are we talking here? 137 00:05:05,680 --> 00:05:11,760 These monsters can have masses millions or even billions of times greater than our sun. 138 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:12,760 Oh, wow. 139 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:14,760 They're so massive. 140 00:05:14,760 --> 00:05:15,760 Yeah. 141 00:05:15,760 --> 00:05:20,040 They reside at the centers of most galaxies, including our own Milky Way. 142 00:05:20,040 --> 00:05:21,040 Hold on. 143 00:05:21,040 --> 00:05:24,920 Are you telling me there's a supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy? 144 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:26,520 Right in the middle of the Milky Way. 145 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:28,240 Oh, my goodness. 146 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:31,680 There's a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A. 147 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:32,680 Wow. 148 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:35,880 We can't see it directly, of course. 149 00:05:35,880 --> 00:05:40,840 But its gravitational influence on nearby stars is undeniable. 150 00:05:40,840 --> 00:05:43,800 That's both amazing and kind of terrifying at the same time. 151 00:05:43,800 --> 00:05:44,800 It is. 152 00:05:44,800 --> 00:05:47,800 It's just amazing to think about. 153 00:05:47,800 --> 00:05:51,000 But how do these supermassive black holes form? 154 00:05:51,000 --> 00:05:56,160 I mean, are they just the result of a bunch of smaller black holes merging together or... 155 00:05:56,160 --> 00:05:57,160 That's one possibility. 156 00:05:57,160 --> 00:05:58,160 Okay. 157 00:05:58,160 --> 00:05:59,960 But it's still a bit of a mystery. 158 00:05:59,960 --> 00:06:00,960 Yeah. 159 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:01,960 Really? 160 00:06:01,960 --> 00:06:04,840 Some theories suggest they could arise from the collapse of massive gas clouds. 161 00:06:04,840 --> 00:06:06,000 Oh, okay. 162 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:07,000 In the early universe. 163 00:06:07,000 --> 00:06:08,000 I see. 164 00:06:08,000 --> 00:06:13,640 Others propose they might have started as smaller seed black holes that grew over billions 165 00:06:13,640 --> 00:06:15,920 of years, devouring surrounding matter. 166 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:16,920 Oh, wow. 167 00:06:16,920 --> 00:06:18,980 So they just eat and eat and eat and eat. 168 00:06:18,980 --> 00:06:21,760 It's one of the most active areas of research in astrophysics. 169 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:22,760 It is. 170 00:06:22,760 --> 00:06:23,760 Absolutely. 171 00:06:23,760 --> 00:06:27,000 So we have these stellar black holes formed from dying stars. 172 00:06:27,000 --> 00:06:28,000 Right. 173 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:32,080 And these supermassive behemoths lurking at the hearts of galaxies. 174 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:33,080 Yeah. 175 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:34,480 Are there any in between sizes? 176 00:06:34,480 --> 00:06:36,360 I mean, what else is out there? 177 00:06:36,360 --> 00:06:37,360 Yes. 178 00:06:37,360 --> 00:06:38,360 Really? 179 00:06:38,360 --> 00:06:41,360 There's a hypothetical class called intermediate mass black holes. 180 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:42,560 Oh. 181 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:46,720 These would have masses hundreds or thousands of times that of the sun. 182 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:47,720 Wow. 183 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:51,120 Bridging the gap between stellar and supermassive black holes. 184 00:06:51,120 --> 00:06:53,600 So they're like the middle child of the black hole family. 185 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:54,600 Exactly. 186 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:55,840 You haven't definitively observed any yet. 187 00:06:55,840 --> 00:06:58,560 We haven't definitively observed any yet. 188 00:06:58,560 --> 00:07:01,480 But there's growing evidence to suggest they might be out there. 189 00:07:01,480 --> 00:07:02,480 Oh, wow. 190 00:07:02,480 --> 00:07:05,200 They could form from the mergers of stellar black holes. 191 00:07:05,200 --> 00:07:06,200 Okay. 192 00:07:06,200 --> 00:07:09,960 Or maybe even from the collapse of extremely dense star clusters. 193 00:07:09,960 --> 00:07:12,160 It's amazing to think about the variety. 194 00:07:12,160 --> 00:07:13,160 Yeah. 195 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:14,160 Of black holes. 196 00:07:14,160 --> 00:07:15,160 It is. 197 00:07:15,160 --> 00:07:16,400 That might be scattered throughout the universe. 198 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:17,400 All over the place. 199 00:07:17,400 --> 00:07:21,840 But you mentioned earlier that things get really weird near a black hole. 200 00:07:21,840 --> 00:07:22,840 They do. 201 00:07:22,840 --> 00:07:25,120 What kind of strange effects are we talking about? 202 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:26,120 What happens? 203 00:07:26,120 --> 00:07:30,940 Well, for starters, if you were to get too close to a black hole, you'd experience something 204 00:07:30,940 --> 00:07:32,440 called spaghettification. 205 00:07:32,440 --> 00:07:33,440 Spaghettification. 206 00:07:33,440 --> 00:07:37,400 That sounds kind of unpleasant. 207 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:38,480 It does, yeah. 208 00:07:38,480 --> 00:07:39,680 What exactly does that mean? 209 00:07:39,680 --> 00:07:40,680 What happens? 210 00:07:40,680 --> 00:07:41,680 Imagine being stretched out. 211 00:07:41,680 --> 00:07:42,680 Okay. 212 00:07:42,680 --> 00:07:43,680 Like a noodle. 213 00:07:43,680 --> 00:07:44,680 Okay. 214 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:46,920 Due to the extreme difference in gravity between your head and your feet. 215 00:07:46,920 --> 00:07:47,920 Okay. 216 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:48,920 The gravitational pull. 217 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:49,920 Yeah. 218 00:07:49,920 --> 00:07:52,520 Would be so much stronger on your feet than your head. 219 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:53,520 Oh, okay. 220 00:07:53,520 --> 00:07:56,960 That you'd be stretched into a long, thin shape. 221 00:07:56,960 --> 00:07:58,840 I think I'll pass on that experience. 222 00:07:58,840 --> 00:08:00,480 Probably a good idea. 223 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:01,940 Anything else I should be worried about. 224 00:08:01,940 --> 00:08:02,940 What else happens? 225 00:08:02,940 --> 00:08:04,920 Well, there's also time dilation. 226 00:08:04,920 --> 00:08:05,920 Time dilation. 227 00:08:05,920 --> 00:08:08,840 As you approach a black hole, time itself would slow down. 228 00:08:08,840 --> 00:08:09,840 Okay. 229 00:08:09,840 --> 00:08:11,240 Relative to an outside observer. 230 00:08:11,240 --> 00:08:12,240 What? 231 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:16,200 It's one of the most mind-bending consequences of Einstein's theory of general relativity. 232 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:20,680 Wait, so time literally moves differently near a black hole? 233 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:21,680 That's messing with my brain a little. 234 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:22,680 I know. 235 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:23,680 It's pretty wild. 236 00:08:23,680 --> 00:08:28,760 So it's... It's a consequence of intense gravity warping the fabric of space-time itself. 237 00:08:28,760 --> 00:08:29,760 Okay. 238 00:08:29,760 --> 00:08:32,360 The stronger the gravity, the slower time flows. 239 00:08:32,360 --> 00:08:36,640 So hypothetically, if I were watching someone fall into a black hole. 240 00:08:36,640 --> 00:08:37,640 Yeah. 241 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:38,640 What would I see? 242 00:08:38,640 --> 00:08:40,800 You'd see them approach the event horizon. 243 00:08:40,800 --> 00:08:41,800 Okay. 244 00:08:41,800 --> 00:08:43,520 Which is the point of no return. 245 00:08:43,520 --> 00:08:44,520 Right. 246 00:08:44,520 --> 00:08:48,560 As they get closer, they'd appear to slow down and redshift. 247 00:08:48,560 --> 00:08:49,560 Okay. 248 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:52,760 Meaning their light would stretch towards the red end of the spectrum. 249 00:08:52,760 --> 00:08:53,760 I see. 250 00:08:53,760 --> 00:08:55,960 Eventually they would fade from view entirely. 251 00:08:55,960 --> 00:08:58,040 So they would just disappear? 252 00:08:58,040 --> 00:08:59,040 Essentially, yes. 253 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:00,040 Wow. 254 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,520 From your perspective, they would never actually cross the event horizon. 255 00:09:03,520 --> 00:09:04,520 Okay. 256 00:09:04,520 --> 00:09:06,520 They would be frozen in time. 257 00:09:06,520 --> 00:09:07,880 Frozen in it? 258 00:09:07,880 --> 00:09:12,640 That is... I mean, just... It's pretty incredible, isn't it? 259 00:09:12,640 --> 00:09:15,240 I know, but what about the person falling in? 260 00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:16,240 What they experience? 261 00:09:16,240 --> 00:09:18,720 Now, that's a question we can't definitively answer. 262 00:09:18,720 --> 00:09:19,720 Oh, really? 263 00:09:19,720 --> 00:09:21,160 Once they cross the event horizon. 264 00:09:21,160 --> 00:09:23,800 We have no way of knowing what happens to them. 265 00:09:23,800 --> 00:09:26,360 It's one of the biggest mysteries of black holes. 266 00:09:26,360 --> 00:09:27,360 Wow. 267 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:30,840 It's a point where our current understanding of physics breaks down. 268 00:09:30,840 --> 00:09:31,840 Okay. 269 00:09:31,840 --> 00:09:33,360 That's enough mind-bending physics for now. 270 00:09:33,360 --> 00:09:34,360 I hear you. 271 00:09:34,360 --> 00:09:39,240 Before we go any further down that rabbit hole, let's explore how black holes influence 272 00:09:39,240 --> 00:09:40,440 the universe around them. 273 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:41,440 Okay. 274 00:09:41,440 --> 00:09:42,440 Sounds good. 275 00:09:42,440 --> 00:09:43,440 They sound like they have a lot of power. 276 00:09:43,440 --> 00:09:44,440 They do. 277 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:45,440 They do. 278 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:46,440 This is all so fascinating. 279 00:09:46,440 --> 00:09:47,440 I can't wait to hear more about it after. 280 00:09:47,440 --> 00:09:49,120 After we take a little break to let all this sink in. 281 00:09:49,120 --> 00:09:50,520 How about that? 282 00:09:50,520 --> 00:09:51,520 Exactly. 283 00:09:51,520 --> 00:09:55,400 We'll be back soon to continue our deep dive into the world of black holes. 284 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:56,400 Don't go anywhere. 285 00:09:56,400 --> 00:09:58,000 We'll be right back. 286 00:09:58,000 --> 00:09:59,160 All right. 287 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:04,880 We're back and ready to continue our deep dive into this fascinating world of black 288 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:05,880 holes. 289 00:10:05,880 --> 00:10:06,880 All right. 290 00:10:06,880 --> 00:10:07,880 Let's do it. 291 00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:13,000 Before the break, we were discussing those mind-bending effects of gravity near these 292 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:14,000 cosmic behemoths. 293 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:15,000 Right. 294 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,260 But now, I'm really curious about the bigger picture. 295 00:10:18,260 --> 00:10:21,280 How do black holes actually impact the universe around them? 296 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,120 I mean, what do they do out there? 297 00:10:24,120 --> 00:10:25,120 That's a great question. 298 00:10:25,120 --> 00:10:29,080 It's one that astrophysicists are still actively exploring. 299 00:10:29,080 --> 00:10:30,080 I bet. 300 00:10:30,080 --> 00:10:34,920 It turns out that black holes, they're far from isolated phenomena. 301 00:10:34,920 --> 00:10:40,440 They have a profound influence on the evolution of galaxies and even on the large-scale structure 302 00:10:40,440 --> 00:10:41,440 of the universe. 303 00:10:41,440 --> 00:10:44,040 So they're not just sitting there passively swallowing things up. 304 00:10:44,040 --> 00:10:45,040 Nope. 305 00:10:45,040 --> 00:10:46,040 Not at all. 306 00:10:46,040 --> 00:10:47,680 They're actively shaping their cosmic neighborhood. 307 00:10:47,680 --> 00:10:48,680 Absolutely. 308 00:10:48,680 --> 00:10:49,680 Yeah. 309 00:10:49,680 --> 00:10:50,680 Oh, wow. 310 00:10:50,680 --> 00:10:54,480 Let's start with the supermassive black holes at the centers of galaxies. 311 00:10:54,480 --> 00:11:01,880 These giants exert an incredible gravitational pull on everything around them, stars, gas 312 00:11:01,880 --> 00:11:03,520 clouds, even other black holes. 313 00:11:03,520 --> 00:11:04,520 Oh, wow. 314 00:11:04,520 --> 00:11:09,640 This gravitational influence, it helps to shape the structure of the galaxy, guiding 315 00:11:09,640 --> 00:11:13,600 the orbits of stars and regulating the flow of gas. 316 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:17,200 So it's like the black hole is the conductor of a giant cosmic orchestra. 317 00:11:17,200 --> 00:11:19,000 Yeah, I like that analogy. 318 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:21,560 Dictating the movements of everything around it. 319 00:11:21,560 --> 00:11:22,560 Exactly. 320 00:11:22,560 --> 00:11:25,000 Their influence goes beyond just gravity. 321 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:26,000 Oh, okay. 322 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:31,200 As matter falls towards a black hole, it doesn't just disappear cleanly. 323 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:32,200 What does it do? 324 00:11:32,200 --> 00:11:37,000 It forms a swirling disk of gas from dust called an accretion disk. 325 00:11:37,000 --> 00:11:41,640 Oh, so it's like water swirling down a drain, like picking up speed and energy as it gets 326 00:11:41,640 --> 00:11:42,640 closer to the center. 327 00:11:42,640 --> 00:11:47,080 Yeah, the analogy is helpful, but the reality is far more extreme. 328 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:48,080 Really? 329 00:11:48,080 --> 00:11:49,080 Yeah. 330 00:11:49,080 --> 00:11:51,600 These accretion disks, they become incredibly hot. 331 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:52,600 Okay. 332 00:11:52,600 --> 00:11:55,520 Due to friction and the intense gravitational forces. 333 00:11:55,520 --> 00:11:56,520 Right. 334 00:11:56,520 --> 00:11:59,840 They can reach temperatures of millions of degrees emitting intense radiation. 335 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:00,840 Wow. 336 00:12:00,840 --> 00:12:03,520 Across the electromagnetic spectrum, including X-rays. 337 00:12:03,520 --> 00:12:04,520 Okay. 338 00:12:04,520 --> 00:12:05,800 Which we can detect here on Earth. 339 00:12:05,800 --> 00:12:09,080 So it's like the black hole is powering a giant cosmic spotlight. 340 00:12:09,080 --> 00:12:10,080 Exactly. 341 00:12:10,080 --> 00:12:11,080 A great way to put it. 342 00:12:11,080 --> 00:12:12,160 Shining brightly in X-rays. 343 00:12:12,160 --> 00:12:13,840 And it gets even more impressive. 344 00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:14,840 Really? 345 00:12:14,840 --> 00:12:20,040 Some black holes also launch powerful jets of charged particles at nearly the speed of 346 00:12:20,040 --> 00:12:21,040 light. 347 00:12:21,040 --> 00:12:22,040 Almost. 348 00:12:22,040 --> 00:12:26,040 These jets can extend for thousands of light years. 349 00:12:26,040 --> 00:12:27,040 Wow. 350 00:12:27,040 --> 00:12:30,040 Influencing star formation and shaping the interstellar medium. 351 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:31,040 Okay. 352 00:12:31,040 --> 00:12:33,040 Far beyond the black hole itself. 353 00:12:33,040 --> 00:12:35,040 So black holes were like cosmic sculptors. 354 00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:36,040 They are? 355 00:12:36,040 --> 00:12:37,040 Wow. 356 00:12:37,040 --> 00:12:39,040 Shaping the structure of galaxies and influencing the birth of new stars. 357 00:12:39,040 --> 00:12:40,040 They are indeed, yeah. 358 00:12:40,040 --> 00:12:41,040 Incredible. 359 00:12:41,040 --> 00:12:43,040 And their impacts doesn't stop there. 360 00:12:43,040 --> 00:12:44,040 Really? 361 00:12:44,040 --> 00:12:47,040 Black holes also provide us with incredible natural laboratories. 362 00:12:47,040 --> 00:12:51,040 What do you mean by natural laboratories? 363 00:12:51,040 --> 00:12:55,040 How can we study something that we can't even see directly? 364 00:12:55,040 --> 00:12:56,040 Well, right. 365 00:12:56,040 --> 00:13:01,480 Well, by observing the effects of black holes on our surroundings, we can probe the limits 366 00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:05,880 of our current theories, particularly Einstein's theory of general relativity. 367 00:13:05,880 --> 00:13:11,000 For example, by studying the orbits of stars around the supermassive black hole at the 368 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:16,680 center of our galaxy, we can test the predictions of general relativity in a regime of very 369 00:13:16,680 --> 00:13:18,000 strong gravity. 370 00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:20,360 So black holes are like a testing ground. 371 00:13:20,360 --> 00:13:21,360 They are. 372 00:13:21,360 --> 00:13:23,680 Some of the most fundamental laws of physics. 373 00:13:23,680 --> 00:13:24,680 Precisely. 374 00:13:24,680 --> 00:13:25,680 That's amazing. 375 00:13:25,680 --> 00:13:26,680 And it goes even deeper than that. 376 00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:27,680 Really. 377 00:13:27,680 --> 00:13:28,680 What else? 378 00:13:28,680 --> 00:13:34,400 Black holes also force us to confront the limitations of our current understanding at 379 00:13:34,400 --> 00:13:38,320 the singularity, where density and gravity become infinite. 380 00:13:38,320 --> 00:13:41,080 Our current laws of physics, they simply break down. 381 00:13:41,080 --> 00:13:42,080 Oh, wow. 382 00:13:42,080 --> 00:13:48,120 The breakdown highlights the need for a more complete theory of gravity, one that can reconcile 383 00:13:48,120 --> 00:13:53,620 general relativity with quantum mechanics, the other pillar of modern physics that governs 384 00:13:53,620 --> 00:13:56,080 the behavior of matter at the subatomic level. 385 00:13:56,080 --> 00:14:01,720 So black holes are like a cosmic puzzle, challenging us to find a way to unify our theories of 386 00:14:01,720 --> 00:14:04,320 the very large and the very small. 387 00:14:04,320 --> 00:14:05,320 You got it. 388 00:14:05,320 --> 00:14:06,320 Wow. 389 00:14:06,320 --> 00:14:10,720 They push us to the very edge of what we know and challenge us to develop new ways of thinking 390 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:11,720 about the universe. 391 00:14:11,720 --> 00:14:12,720 That's incredible. 392 00:14:12,720 --> 00:14:17,680 And as we continue to study them, I'm sure we'll uncover even more mysteries and paradoxes. 393 00:14:17,680 --> 00:14:22,760 Speaking of mysteries, you mentioned earlier a concept called Hawking radiation. 394 00:14:22,760 --> 00:14:26,120 That sounds like something that challenges our traditional view. 395 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:27,120 It does. 396 00:14:27,120 --> 00:14:29,880 Black holes as these inescapable cosmic traps. 397 00:14:29,880 --> 00:14:30,880 Right. 398 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:31,960 Can you tell me more about that? 399 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:32,960 What is that? 400 00:14:32,960 --> 00:14:33,960 Absolutely. 401 00:14:33,960 --> 00:14:39,520 Hawking radiation is a theoretical concept developed by physicist Stephen Hawking. 402 00:14:39,520 --> 00:14:44,440 And it suggests that black holes, despite their reputation as cosmic vacuum cleaners, 403 00:14:44,440 --> 00:14:46,040 can actually emit particles. 404 00:14:46,040 --> 00:14:47,080 Wait, hold on. 405 00:14:47,080 --> 00:14:50,880 Are you saying that things can actually escape from a black hole? 406 00:14:50,880 --> 00:14:54,520 I thought nothing could get past the event horizon. 407 00:14:54,520 --> 00:14:55,520 That's the classical view. 408 00:14:55,520 --> 00:14:56,520 Okay. 409 00:14:56,520 --> 00:15:01,360 But when you bring quantum mechanics into the picture, things get a little more complex. 410 00:15:01,360 --> 00:15:06,520 Hawking radiation arises from quantum effects near the event horizon. 411 00:15:06,520 --> 00:15:07,880 It's a subtle process. 412 00:15:07,880 --> 00:15:14,400 But it essentially allows for the creation of particle-antiparticle pairs near the black 413 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:15,680 hole. 414 00:15:15,680 --> 00:15:20,720 One particle falls into the black hole while the other escapes, carrying away some of the 415 00:15:20,720 --> 00:15:22,040 black hole's energy. 416 00:15:22,040 --> 00:15:27,780 So it's like the black hole is slowly leaking energy, even though nothing can directly cross 417 00:15:27,780 --> 00:15:29,120 the event horizon. 418 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:30,920 That's a great way to think about it. 419 00:15:30,920 --> 00:15:33,520 Over incredibly long time scales. 420 00:15:33,520 --> 00:15:38,200 This Hawking radiation can cause a black hole to slowly evaporate. 421 00:15:38,200 --> 00:15:40,720 But you said this process is incredibly slow, right? 422 00:15:40,720 --> 00:15:41,720 Yes. 423 00:15:41,720 --> 00:15:44,040 So we're not talking about black holes vanishing anytime soon. 424 00:15:44,040 --> 00:15:45,040 No, not at all. 425 00:15:45,040 --> 00:15:51,400 The evaporation time for a stellar-mass black hole is far longer than the current age of 426 00:15:51,400 --> 00:15:52,400 the universe. 427 00:15:52,400 --> 00:15:53,400 Okay. 428 00:15:53,400 --> 00:15:55,200 But the implications are still profound. 429 00:15:55,200 --> 00:15:56,200 Right. 430 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:59,200 It suggests that black holes, they aren't eternal prisons. 431 00:15:59,200 --> 00:16:02,720 They eventually give back some of the energy they've consumed. 432 00:16:02,720 --> 00:16:04,320 That's a pretty mind-blowing concept. 433 00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:07,920 I mean, just to think about that, that it's not just a one-way street. 434 00:16:07,920 --> 00:16:08,920 It's not. 435 00:16:08,920 --> 00:16:11,760 So black holes, they're these incredibly complex objects. 436 00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:12,760 They are. 437 00:16:12,760 --> 00:16:16,720 With immense gravity, swirling disks of superheated matter. 438 00:16:16,720 --> 00:16:17,720 Right. 439 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:20,000 And even the ability to slowly evaporate over time. 440 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:21,000 It's right. 441 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:22,000 It's incredible. 442 00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:23,000 It is. 443 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:25,680 What are some of the biggest questions that scientists are still trying to answer about 444 00:16:25,680 --> 00:16:26,680 black holes? 445 00:16:26,680 --> 00:16:28,680 What are we still trying to figure out? 446 00:16:28,680 --> 00:16:29,680 There are so many. 447 00:16:29,680 --> 00:16:30,680 Yeah. 448 00:16:30,680 --> 00:16:36,280 One of the biggest, as I mentioned earlier, is the quest to unify general relativity and 449 00:16:36,280 --> 00:16:37,280 quantum mechanics. 450 00:16:37,280 --> 00:16:38,280 Okay. 451 00:16:38,280 --> 00:16:44,140 We need a theory of quantum gravity to fully understand what happens at the singularity 452 00:16:44,140 --> 00:16:45,440 of a black hole. 453 00:16:45,440 --> 00:16:49,400 So it's about finding a way to bridge the gap between our understanding of the very 454 00:16:49,400 --> 00:16:51,040 large and the very small. 455 00:16:51,040 --> 00:16:52,040 Exactly. 456 00:16:52,040 --> 00:16:58,720 Another major question is what happens to information that falls into a black hole? 457 00:16:58,720 --> 00:16:59,720 Really? 458 00:16:59,720 --> 00:17:02,320 In quantum mechanics, information cannot be destroyed. 459 00:17:02,320 --> 00:17:03,320 Okay. 460 00:17:03,320 --> 00:17:05,920 But what happens to it once it crosses the event horizon? 461 00:17:05,920 --> 00:17:06,920 Right. 462 00:17:06,920 --> 00:17:10,600 Does it get encoded in the Hawking radiation somehow? 463 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:12,880 This is known as the black hole information paradox. 464 00:17:12,880 --> 00:17:13,880 Okay. 465 00:17:13,880 --> 00:17:17,680 And it's a puzzle that has kept physicists up at night for decades. 466 00:17:17,680 --> 00:17:21,960 It sounds like we're just scratching the surface of what there is to learn about black holes. 467 00:17:21,960 --> 00:17:22,960 We are. 468 00:17:22,960 --> 00:17:23,960 Wow. 469 00:17:23,960 --> 00:17:24,960 This is... 470 00:17:24,960 --> 00:17:27,520 Black holes are a constant source of wonder and mystery. 471 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:28,520 Yeah. 472 00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:31,760 They connect us to the limits of our imagination and our understanding of the universe. 473 00:17:31,760 --> 00:17:33,000 That's amazing. 474 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:38,560 And who knows what incredible discoveries await us as we continue to explore these cosmic 475 00:17:38,560 --> 00:17:39,560 enigmas. 476 00:17:39,560 --> 00:17:44,680 Well, I, for one, am excited to see what the future holds for black hole research. 477 00:17:44,680 --> 00:17:45,680 Me too. 478 00:17:45,680 --> 00:17:47,840 This has been a truly fascinating deep dive. 479 00:17:47,840 --> 00:17:48,840 It has. 480 00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:52,200 But I think my brain needs a little break from all this mind-bending physics for now. 481 00:17:52,200 --> 00:17:54,000 I understand completely. 482 00:17:54,000 --> 00:17:55,000 It's a lot to absorb. 483 00:17:55,000 --> 00:18:00,120 When we return, let's shift gears slightly and explore one of the most groundbreaking 484 00:18:00,120 --> 00:18:02,440 achievements in recent black hole research. 485 00:18:02,440 --> 00:18:03,440 Okay. 486 00:18:03,440 --> 00:18:07,680 The Event Horizon Telescope and the first ever image of a black hole shadow. 487 00:18:07,680 --> 00:18:08,680 Sounds great. 488 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:10,040 I'm looking forward to diving into that. 489 00:18:10,040 --> 00:18:11,920 Welcome back to Cosmos in a Pod. 490 00:18:11,920 --> 00:18:15,040 We've been on quite a journey exploring the mysteries of black holes. 491 00:18:15,040 --> 00:18:16,040 We have. 492 00:18:16,040 --> 00:18:20,280 Their formation to their... those mind-bending effects on space time. 493 00:18:20,280 --> 00:18:21,840 It's amazing stuff. 494 00:18:21,840 --> 00:18:22,840 It really is. 495 00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:26,720 And before the break, we were talking about some of the big unanswered questions surrounding 496 00:18:26,720 --> 00:18:27,720 black holes. 497 00:18:27,720 --> 00:18:28,720 Yeah. 498 00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:32,400 But now I'd love to delve into something a bit more concrete. 499 00:18:32,400 --> 00:18:40,800 The Event Horizon Telescope and that incredible image of a black hole shadow that captivated 500 00:18:40,800 --> 00:18:41,800 the world. 501 00:18:41,800 --> 00:18:42,800 I mean, that was just... 502 00:18:42,800 --> 00:18:45,640 That was a landmark achievement. 503 00:18:45,640 --> 00:18:46,640 It really was. 504 00:18:46,640 --> 00:18:50,000 A testament to the power of human ingenuity and collaboration. 505 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:56,040 I remember seeing that image splashed across news headlines everywhere. 506 00:18:56,040 --> 00:18:57,040 It was everywhere. 507 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:01,960 It was such a powerful moment, I mean, to finally see visual evidence of something that 508 00:19:01,960 --> 00:19:03,600 had been theorized for so long. 509 00:19:03,600 --> 00:19:04,680 It's so long. 510 00:19:04,680 --> 00:19:09,440 But for those who might not be familiar, can you explain what the Event Horizon Telescope 511 00:19:09,440 --> 00:19:10,440 is? 512 00:19:10,440 --> 00:19:11,440 Sure. 513 00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:13,120 And how it managed to capture this elusive image? 514 00:19:13,120 --> 00:19:15,360 I mean, how do they even do that? 515 00:19:15,360 --> 00:19:17,200 Well, it's not a single telescope. 516 00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:18,200 Okay. 517 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:20,800 They're a global network of radio telescopes. 518 00:19:20,800 --> 00:19:21,800 Oh. 519 00:19:21,800 --> 00:19:22,800 Strategically placed around the world. 520 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:23,800 I see. 521 00:19:23,800 --> 00:19:28,000 They work together combining their data to create a virtual telescope the size of Earth 522 00:19:28,000 --> 00:19:29,000 itself. 523 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:30,000 Oh, wow. 524 00:19:30,000 --> 00:19:31,000 So they're combining all these... 525 00:19:31,000 --> 00:19:32,000 This technique. 526 00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:33,000 Yeah. 527 00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:34,920 It's called very long baseline interferometry. 528 00:19:34,920 --> 00:19:35,920 Okay. 529 00:19:35,920 --> 00:19:42,440 Gives the EHT incredible resolving power, allowing it to see details that would be impossible 530 00:19:42,440 --> 00:19:45,280 for any single telescope to discern. 531 00:19:45,280 --> 00:19:48,120 So it's like having a giant eye on the universe. 532 00:19:48,120 --> 00:19:49,120 Exactly. 533 00:19:49,120 --> 00:19:52,280 It's capable of seeing the tiniest details from vast distances. 534 00:19:52,280 --> 00:19:53,280 That's it. 535 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:56,200 And that's precisely what was needed to image a black hole. 536 00:19:56,200 --> 00:19:57,200 It was. 537 00:19:57,200 --> 00:19:58,720 Remember, black holes themselves. 538 00:19:58,720 --> 00:19:59,720 Right. 539 00:19:59,720 --> 00:20:02,600 They're invisible because light can't escape their gravitational pull. 540 00:20:02,600 --> 00:20:03,600 Right. 541 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:08,200 But the EHT wasn't looking for light emitted by the black hole itself, right? 542 00:20:08,200 --> 00:20:09,200 That's right. 543 00:20:09,200 --> 00:20:13,000 It was looking for the shadow cast by the black hole against the bright background of 544 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:14,900 hot gas swirling around it. 545 00:20:14,900 --> 00:20:18,920 So it's like seeing the silhouette of a person standing in front of a bright light. 546 00:20:18,920 --> 00:20:19,920 Yeah. 547 00:20:19,920 --> 00:20:21,160 You can't see the person directly. 548 00:20:21,160 --> 00:20:22,160 Right. 549 00:20:22,160 --> 00:20:26,000 But you can see the shape they create by blocking the light. 550 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:27,560 A perfect analogy. 551 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:28,560 Okay. 552 00:20:28,560 --> 00:20:33,600 So the EHT targeted the supermassive black hole at the center of the galaxy. 553 00:20:33,600 --> 00:20:34,600 That's right. 554 00:20:34,600 --> 00:20:35,600 M87. 555 00:20:35,600 --> 00:20:36,600 M87. 556 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:41,400 A giant elliptical galaxy about 55 million light years from Earth. 557 00:20:41,400 --> 00:20:42,400 Wow. 558 00:20:42,400 --> 00:20:43,400 That's so far. 559 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:48,800 The black hole is a true monster with a mass millions of times greater than our sun. 560 00:20:48,800 --> 00:20:49,800 And what did they see? 561 00:20:49,800 --> 00:20:54,920 I mean, when they pointed this virtual Earth-sized telescope at M87, what did they see? 562 00:20:54,920 --> 00:20:58,080 They saw exactly what Einstein's theory predicted. 563 00:20:58,080 --> 00:20:59,560 A bright ring of light. 564 00:20:59,560 --> 00:21:00,560 Right here. 565 00:21:00,560 --> 00:21:03,760 Bent and distorted by the black hole's intense gravity. 566 00:21:03,760 --> 00:21:04,760 Wow. 567 00:21:04,760 --> 00:21:07,160 Surrounding a dark central region. 568 00:21:07,160 --> 00:21:08,640 Black hole's shadow. 569 00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:11,560 It must have been an incredible moment for those scientists involved. 570 00:21:11,560 --> 00:21:12,560 It was. 571 00:21:12,560 --> 00:21:15,520 Was there any confirmation of Einstein's theory in such a dramatic way? 572 00:21:15,520 --> 00:21:18,440 It was a triumph of both theory and observation. 573 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:19,440 Amazing. 574 00:21:19,440 --> 00:21:23,600 It not only confirmed the existence of black holes beyond any doubt, but also provided 575 00:21:23,600 --> 00:21:28,360 new insights into the behavior of gravity in these extreme environments. 576 00:21:28,360 --> 00:21:29,360 Wow. 577 00:21:29,360 --> 00:21:33,240 And by carefully analyzing the size and shape of the shadow. 578 00:21:33,240 --> 00:21:37,160 Scientists were able to test Einstein's theory with unprecedented precision. 579 00:21:37,160 --> 00:21:38,160 They were. 580 00:21:38,160 --> 00:21:39,640 And what did those tests reveal? 581 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:43,360 I mean, did he, Einstein, did he pass with flying colors? 582 00:21:43,360 --> 00:21:46,480 Einstein's theory continues to hold up remarkably well. 583 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:47,480 Wow. 584 00:21:47,480 --> 00:21:49,560 Even in the face of these extreme tests. 585 00:21:49,560 --> 00:21:50,560 Really? 586 00:21:50,560 --> 00:21:54,880 The observations from the EHT were consistent with the predictions of general relativity. 587 00:21:54,880 --> 00:21:55,880 Wow. 588 00:21:55,880 --> 00:22:00,240 Further solidifying its place as our best current description of gravity. 589 00:22:00,240 --> 00:22:02,240 It's amazing to think that a theory. 590 00:22:02,240 --> 00:22:03,240 I know. 591 00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:09,360 Developed over a century ago can still accurately describe these cosmic phenomena. 592 00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:10,360 Right. 593 00:22:10,360 --> 00:22:12,360 That we're only now beginning to observe directly. 594 00:22:12,360 --> 00:22:15,240 It is a testament to Einstein's genius. 595 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:16,400 It really is. 596 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:20,040 But even though general relativity has passed these tests with flying colors. 597 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:21,040 Right. 598 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:22,520 We know that it can't be the whole story. 599 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:23,520 What else is there? 600 00:22:23,520 --> 00:22:25,360 There are still puzzles and inconsistencies. 601 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:26,360 Okay. 602 00:22:26,360 --> 00:22:30,360 That point to the need for a more complete theory of gravity. 603 00:22:30,360 --> 00:22:33,640 Like the need to unify general relativity with quantum mechanics. 604 00:22:33,640 --> 00:22:35,120 Exactly, as we discussed earlier. 605 00:22:35,120 --> 00:22:36,120 Right. 606 00:22:36,120 --> 00:22:38,600 Black holes are a prime example of where those two theories clash. 607 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:39,600 Okay. 608 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:43,640 The singularity at the heart of a black hole where density and gravity become infinite. 609 00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:44,640 Right. 610 00:22:44,640 --> 00:22:46,840 Is a point where general relativity breaks down. 611 00:22:46,840 --> 00:22:47,840 Wow. 612 00:22:47,840 --> 00:22:50,400 And quantum effects are expected to dominate. 613 00:22:50,400 --> 00:22:51,400 So we still need more. 614 00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:53,400 We need a theory of quantum gravity. 615 00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:54,400 Yeah. 616 00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:57,160 To fully understand what happens in those extreme realms. 617 00:22:57,160 --> 00:23:02,080 It sounds like black holes are not only fascinating objects in their own right. 618 00:23:02,080 --> 00:23:03,080 They are? 619 00:23:03,080 --> 00:23:07,320 But they also hold the key to unlocking some of the deepest mysteries of the universe. 620 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:08,800 I think so. 621 00:23:08,800 --> 00:23:11,160 This has been such an incredible journey. 622 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:13,620 A deep dive into the heart of black holes. 623 00:23:13,620 --> 00:23:14,620 It really has. 624 00:23:14,620 --> 00:23:15,620 From their formation. 625 00:23:15,620 --> 00:23:16,620 Yeah. 626 00:23:16,620 --> 00:23:18,040 To their mind-bending effects on space-time. 627 00:23:18,040 --> 00:23:19,040 Absolutely. 628 00:23:19,040 --> 00:23:21,040 To those groundbreaking observations. 629 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:22,040 Right. 630 00:23:22,040 --> 00:23:24,000 Of the Event Horizon Telescope. 631 00:23:24,000 --> 00:23:26,000 It's just incredible. 632 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:27,000 It's amazing. 633 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:29,880 Thank you for sharing your expertise and taking us on this incredible journey. 634 00:23:29,880 --> 00:23:31,040 It's been my pleasure. 635 00:23:31,040 --> 00:23:32,800 The universe is full of wonders. 636 00:23:32,800 --> 00:23:33,800 It is. 637 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:34,800 And black holes. 638 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:35,800 Yeah. 639 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:38,520 They are the most captivating objects we've discovered so far. 640 00:23:38,520 --> 00:23:39,520 They're up there. 641 00:23:39,520 --> 00:23:40,520 I agree. 642 00:23:40,520 --> 00:23:45,640 Who knows what other secrets they hold, waiting to be uncovered by future generations of scientists 643 00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:46,640 and explorers. 644 00:23:46,640 --> 00:23:48,080 I can't wait to find out. 645 00:23:48,080 --> 00:23:49,080 Me too. 646 00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:52,560 And to all our listeners out there, thank you for joining us on this cosmic adventure. 647 00:23:52,560 --> 00:23:53,680 Thanks everyone. 648 00:23:53,680 --> 00:23:58,360 If you'd like to continue exploring the universe with us, be sure to follow Cosmos in a pod 649 00:23:58,360 --> 00:24:03,200 and subscribe to our YouTube channel for more deep dives into the mysteries of space and 650 00:24:03,200 --> 00:24:04,200 astronomy. 651 00:24:04,200 --> 00:24:06,480 Until next time, keep looking up.