Comments on: The Violent Variations of Black Holes

By: Harvey Rip-Banger

Harvey Rip-Banger — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 17:22:54 +0000

"Black hole sun won't you come, and wash away the rain? Black hole sun won't you come? Won't you come!" — Soundgarden

By: tayla

tayla — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 04:02:22 +0000

those black holes are so awsome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

By: slick

slick — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:37:05 +0000

Most articles about "visiting" a black hole focus on the event horizon and the inabiltiy to return, or the effects of gravity stretching one out like spagetti. But the X-Ray flux may well be lethal long before any human reaches those points. Given the measured X-Ray fluxes of these black holes, how close could one get before being "cooked"? I realize there's lots of variables in that question and that radiation absorption has to integrated with time. But assuming an unprotected human could get there, how close to a black hole would you have to be to receive 100 rems each second?

By: Jon Hanford

Jon Hanford — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 15:18:40 +0000

Any chance this a young magnetar just settling in for a phase when rapidly varying Xray & visible light are to be expected as in the case of newly discovered SWIFT J1955 524106 and recently reported in Universe Today? The researchers noted "Strong magnetic fields represent the best candidate for the dominant physical process. Acting as a reservoir, they can soak up the energy released close to the black hole, storing it until it can be discharged either as hot (multi-million degree) X-ray emitting plasma, or as streams of charged particles travelling at close to the speed of light. The division of energy into these two components can result in the characteristic pattern of X-ray and visible-light variability". Again, might this be a nascent magnetar drawing material from its companion and strongly increasing the strength of its magnetic field, thus producing variability in its visible and Xray luminosity?

By: Yael Dragwyla

Yael Dragwyla — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 08:13:34 +0000

Hey — maybe use a mini black hole for cockroach eradication! Nothing much else seems to work on the critters . . .

By: Chuck R.

Chuck R. — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 01:53:26 +0000

Tell folks there's a Starbucks nearby and they'll flock to it anyway.

By: Mars Man

Mars Man — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 20:48:42 +0000

In short…you wouldn't want live anywhere near one of these things.