Fans of sci-fi films and television shows often wonder what they would do when faced with similar circumstances. If you found yourself on a foreign planet with creatures that spoke a different language, what would you do? You can also ask what you would do if you wound up stranded on a deserted island with just a few supplies. One situation you might wonder about is whether you could survive a black hole.
While many people assure that they could never survive this situation, humans could live through a black hole but it wouldn’t be easy. Find out what a black hole is and what would happen if you encountered one.
What is a Black Hole?
A black hole is essentially a part of the spacetime continuum. Unlike gravity and other physics principles that we have on earth, a black hole follows no laws of physics. Black holes are so strong and intense that anything that falls inside becomes instantly trapped there. No matter how strong of a spacecraft you have or how much support is in that craft, you cannot get out of a black hole. The name comes from the fact that not even light can escape, which gives the region a dark appearance.
Event Horizon
The event horizon is the boundary of a black hole. It refers to a theoretical boundary that scientists identified in the past. When you reach this boundary, you cannot return to your original starting spot. People often use this term today to describe an endpoint. In regards to a political election, the event horizon refers to the last chance that you have to vote. Let’s say that you find yourself pulled into a black hole. You would need to locate and identify the event horizon and make sure that you didn’t pass this point if you wanted to escape.
Cauchy Horizon
Another thing to consider is the Cauchy horizon, which is another theoretical boundary that exists beyond the event horizon. This is a stable boundary that only exists on the cosmic plane. If you survived a black hole and made it beyond the event horizon, you would eventually confront this second horizon. Though scientists are unsure of what happens there, many believe that anything could happen. As gravity is still found in this horizon, there is a chance that gravity could stretch your craft to its breaking point or that it could split the people inside the craft in half.
Surviving Through Speed
A popular theory claims that you could survive a black hole if your spacecraft was fast enough. Take for example a tornado. As long as you can run faster than the tornado and get to a safe space, you can survive that weather condition when it makes landfall. The same is true of the Cauchy horizon in a black hole. As soon as you spot that horizon, you need to increase the speed of your craft and get past it quickly. Some of the particles and electromagnetic charges in the black hole can help you reach the speed you need.
Wormholes
Anyone who saw the “Back to the Future” film series knows about wormholes. These are spots that let you move through time and space. In the Arrowverse television franchise, wormholes help characters jump from their home planets to other universes. Black holes are full of wormholes that can help you survive too. You can take your spacecraft through one to get across the black hole faster and to jump to different points in time. There is even a chance that you might find a wormhole that will take you back to your home planet.
Can You Survive a Black Hole?
The odds that you might find yourself in a black hole are slim, but you can still think about what might happen if you end up in one. Your chances of survival are very slim unless you have a good spacecraft and a strong understanding of wormholes and science. The experiences you had would significantly change you as a person and likely make you a celebrity when you arrived home. Black holes do not follow the same laws and principles that earth does, which will make survival difficult to impossible.