Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – Black holes are said to have the ability to suck in space objects around them. In fact, the hole is said to be able to consume objects the size of the earth.
So is there a possibility that planet Earth could be absorbed into the black hole?
Experts say there is no chance of Earth colliding with a black hole in about five billion years. According to Doug Gobielle, professor in the physics department of the University of Rhode Island, a black hole encounter with the solar system is almost impossible.
“We don't need to worry, just like we don't worry about stars crossing the solar system,” he said, quoted from Newsweek, Sunday (7/4/2024).
Meanwhile, according to Jonathan Zrake, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Clemson University, even though there are lots of stars in our galaxy, random encounters between them are very rare because the distance between the objects is very far and wide.
“Just as we generally don't worry about stars traversing the solar system, this can also be extended to all objects in the galaxy,” Zrake said.
According to experts, the closest black hole to our solar system is too far away to have any impact on the solar system.
For example, V616 Monocerotis (V616 Mon) is considered to be one of the closest black holes to our solar system at a distance of more than 3,000 light years. “At this distance from Earth, we would only notice it by looking directly at the system with observation tools. The impact on Earth would be zero,” Gobielle explained.
Black holes come in two size classes, namely stellar and supermassive. Star black holes tend to have masses several times greater than our sun. In contrast, supermassive black holes can have masses ranging from millions to billions of solar masses.
Stellar-mass black holes, such as V616 Mon, form from the remains of massive stars that died in powerful cosmic supernova explosions. One of the closest stars that could form a black hole is Betelgeuse, the second brightest star in the constellation Orion.
According to Zrake, Betelgeuse is nearing the end of its lifetime and will likely produce a supernova in the next 10,000 years. But this star is located about 500 light years away and if it did produce a black hole, there would be no impact on Earth.
[Gambas:Video CNBC]
Next Article
Earth is Dying, Scientists Shout “Doomsday” Schedule
(ayh/ayh)