Why Doesn't the Milky Way's Black Hole Swallow Everything?
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Chapter 1 Understanding the Black Hole's Behavior
Have you ever wondered why the supermassive black hole located in the heart of our galaxy doesn't seem to devour everything in its vicinity? This intriguing question has been frequently posed on my Ukrainian channel.
Overall, while the black hole at the center of the Milky Way is indeed on a gradual path to engulf surrounding matter, several key factors significantly hinder this process, or may even halt it entirely.
First and foremost, the force of gravity diminishes rapidly with distance. According to Newton's law of gravity, the attraction between two bodies decreases with the square of the distance separating them. Therefore, objects that are farther away experience a much weaker gravitational pull from the black hole.
Secondly, as matter approaches the black hole, it spirals into an accretion disk, gaining speed and forming a rotational orbit. At a certain point, this matter achieves the first cosmic velocity relative to its orbital radius. This means that the material begins to rotate around the black hole, much like how the Earth orbits the Sun or the Moon orbits the Earth, and thus it doesn't simply fall in.
Read also: Why doesn’t the Moon fall to Earth?
Over time, it is inevitable that the black hole will grow, as some matter will inevitably be drawn in, enhancing its gravitational force and allowing it to attract even more surrounding matter until it eventually consumes everything. However, quantum theory suggests that black holes may also undergo "evaporation" through a process known as Hawking radiation.
As a result, there comes a stage in a black hole's life cycle when the amount of matter it absorbs equals the matter it loses due to Hawking radiation, at which point its growth halts, stabilizing the galaxy.
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Section 1.1 The Role of Distance and Gravity
The relationship between gravity and distance is crucial to understanding why the black hole doesn’t consume everything around it. As mentioned earlier, the gravitational pull weakens significantly with distance, making it less effective for attracting far-off objects.
Subsection 1.1.1 Visualization of Black Holes
Section 1.2 The Accretion Disk Dynamics
The formation of an accretion disk plays a pivotal role in the dynamics of matter around a black hole. The rotation of matter around the black hole prevents it from being immediately consumed, creating a complex interplay between gravitational forces and orbital mechanics.
Chapter 2 Insights from YouTube
The first video titled "What would happen if we removed the Milky Way's black hole?" explores the consequences of the black hole's absence in our galaxy. It discusses how such a removal would affect the structure and stability of the Milky Way.
The second video, "The Gigantic Black Hole in the Center of our Galaxy - Re'em Sari - 08/16/2024," provides a detailed look at the massive black hole at the Milky Way's core, explaining its characteristics and significance in the cosmos.