Astronomers may have detected a ‘dark’ free-floating black hole

https://news.berkeley.edu/2022/06/10/astronomers-may-have-detected-a-dark-free-floating-black-hole/

by perihelions • 4 years ago

94 62 4 years ago

news.berkeley.edu

m3kw9• 4 years ago

Now one more danger of flying in space: accidentally flying into a black hole

chowells• 4 years ago

That seems basically impossible. Black holes are either so small (in diameter) that you'd have trouble hitting them if you tried or so massive they're going to noticeably throw off your navigation well before you reach the event horizon. Or both.

ars3• 4 years ago

Agreed. The gravitational influence of the black hole would be noticed years in advance.

ISL• 4 years ago

It is almost certainly less-likely than encountering another star.

The outcome of a close-encounter between our solar system and another star or a black hole would likely be comparable: Earth's orbit would be disrupted, presumably to our detriment.

Black holes of a few solar masses probably aren't any more dangerous than another star.

heavyset_go• 4 years ago

From a sci-fi perspective, I like the idea of there being micro black holes flying through the universe as a result of primordial black holes evaporating for billions of years.

te0006• 4 years ago

Then you might enjoy "Singularity" by Bill DeSmedt: https://isbn.nu/9781614756255

jug• 4 years ago

Nothing weird about that per se, but good job if true!

scotty794• 4 years ago

I'm a fan of explaining dark matter with such objects.

Not WIMPs but MACHOs.

mturmon2• 4 years ago

I believe the community consensus (based on surveys) is that there aren't enough microlensing events to explain the amount of dark matter we see, using MACHOs.

You can read this even at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massive_compact_halo_object

I believe that I most recently heard it from Lina Necib's appearance on Sean Carroll's podcast ... that would be this episode: https://www.preposterousuniverse.com/podcast/2020/05/11/96-l...

Recommended, if you go for that sort of thing.

[Edited to add: OK, turns out the consensus is unstable. There appears to be a window of BH mass range which has not been observationally excluded. See, e.g.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Primordial_black_hole#Theoreti...]

lumost• 4 years ago

I’d be skeptical of such a claim. We have very limited ability to detect dark black holes. The range of possible masses for said black holes is broad if primordial black holes exist.

devman0• 4 years ago

If the recreation of the DAMA/LIBRA experiment at that gold mine in Australia is successful that would be more evidence for WIMPs though.

scotty794• 4 years ago

Yes. But what if it's not successful?

BbzzbB• 4 years ago

Either way, whoever named these are certified geniuses.

jsweojtj• 4 years ago

Can confirm. Prof. Kim Griest at UCSD named MACHOs (deliberately contrasting WIMPs).

andrewflnr2• 4 years ago

Here's the thing about dark matter: basically everyone would rather have almost any answer other than undetectable WIMPs. They've tried. Very hard. And yet, here we are.

Here's the thing about science: reality doesn't actually owe us elegant or in any way aesthetic explanations of anything. We've gotten so many of them that we've started taking them for granted, started feeling entitled. But it's only a feeling.

scotty794• 4 years ago

MACHOs haven't been completely ruled out yet and it's still second best explanation for dark matter considered.

bufferoverflow2• 4 years ago

I hate videos that instead of getting to the point give me all kinds of historical background nonsense. I just wanted to know about this new black hole, I don't need a lecture on something I already know. There are videos for that.

colechristensen• 4 years ago

I want to see the most interesting part first and then background information afterwards, if I care.

umvi• 4 years ago

But then you might stop watching as soon as the interesting part is over

hinkley2• 4 years ago

The most interesting part of the blackest thing in the universe, surrounded by the second blackest thing?

Wowfunhappy• 4 years ago

Did we watch the same video? The whole thing is around 90 seconds long.

sanatgersappa• 4 years ago

looks like Species 10-C didn't get the message.

Astronomers may have detected a ‘dark’ free-floating black hole

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