As an armchair cosmologist, I can’t help but meditate on the recent news that scientists for the first time have witnessed, via satellite, the radiation signature of a star being pulled apart and “swallowed” by a supermassive black hole.
Image: Wikipedia
This poor star, which is reported to be much like our own sun, drifted too close to a supermassive black hole and is being crushed to infinite density. (Well, was. This happened many years ago and light years away. We’re just seeing it now, which makes it all the more complicated). Its mass is being added to the total mass of the black hole, which is already likely more that 2 million times our Sun’s mass. Before that, it was torn apart by the black hole’s tidal forces, pulling it thin like spaghetti.
There are lots of wild theories about what might happen inside a black hole. It seems, at the very least, that it would be not at all like it is here on the outside, where our comforting laws of physics seem generally to apply. Lots of science fiction supposes that if you could come out the other “side” you might find another “dimension” or another “universe.” That doesn’t seem likely to me. It just seems like time would stop. You would be frozen. And there’d you be, just another part of its infinite, timeless density.
I like to think of black holes as Hell. But this isn’t a place of punishment. It’s a place of utter despair. Hell is where nothing good happens. Hell is where there is no light, no movement, and no life. I’m not saying Hell is evil, I’m just saying I don’t particularly want to end up there for all eternity. Think of the boredom!
Theologically, thinking of black holes this way helps make sense of the problem of evil. From the Christian perspective, it hard to reconcile why God would allow evil to exist, and why he’d allow any of his fold to go to Hell. Eastern philosophy has better models for understanding the balance of good and evil. They are interconnected. We can’t have one without the other.
There are newer revelations that black holes are not only failed stars, but there are these supermassive black holes that are at the center of many galaxies. Think of that. Our own private Hell for the Milky Way, another for Andromeda, another for NGC 3115. Imagine what Dante would make out of tens of millions of possible Hells, the number that many astronomers think may exist in the universe.
That’s still less than one for each of us, though. And if we fall too far into darkness, anger, frustration, desperation, and despair…that’s where the small burst of energy that makes up our soul might end up. After the white light experience, through the tunnel, into the black hole. Not to scare you, but imagine whose icky mass and energy you might end up blended with for all eternity.
There is another aspect about black holes that is less understood, and that has to do with what they put out. They are putting out something, which is how scientists are able to find them. Some scientists describe them spitting out gamma rays or antimatter. Anti anything might not be good. And there is still much controversy as to why there appears to be an imbalance of matter and antimatter in the universe. They talk about dark matter, as if they’re looking for an excuse to be depressed.
Could it be because there really is more good than bad to existance, more happy than sad?
It seems the best policy is to turn away from the black holes. Try to avoid them, and certainly avoid falling into them. But they are hungry. Their pull is great. Still, as long as you have life, you have choice. Look towards the light, of stars and jewel-like earths, and know that good will come of it.
Articles for: “Supermassive black hole is seen swallowing a star”
http://articles.latimes.com/2011/aug/25/science/la-sci-black-hole-20110825
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44273287/ns/technology_and_science-space/
(with a special thanks to Matt Paust for inspiration)