Astrophysicists Discuss the Latest in Black Hole Physics

What’s happening just outside a black hole? Neil deGrasse Tyson and co-host Gary O’Reilly travel to Oxford University to explore the mysterious universe of black holes, their accretion disks, and the impact they have on the world around them with astrophysicist Steve Balbus and theoretical physicist Andy Mummery.

We uncover the transformation of black holes from speculative phenomena to well-accepted cosmic entities. Discover how black holes are formed, a question that puzzled scientists until the 1990s, and how Balbus and John Hawley's pioneering work revealed the crucial role of magnetic fields and turbulence in accretion discs. Dive into the Magneto-Rotational Instability (MRI) theory, a breakthrough that explains the turbulent behavior of gas around black holes. Learn about the visualization of turbulence through computer simulations, showing how even weak magnetic fields can destabilize gas.

We also explore Kerr black holes, named after Roy Kerr, and their rotating nature. Unravel the unsolved problems from Einstein’s work, especially regarding orbits close to the singularity where relativistic effects dominate. Andy discusses the challenges in calculating these orbits and provides fresh insights into black holes’ impact on their environment.

Why can’t objects orbit just above the event horizon? Understand the balance of forces and why closer proximity leads to catastrophic instability. Explore the origins of our black hole data, primarily from X-ray telescopes, and the impending loss of critical instruments like the Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Finally, hear Andy’s take on the biggest unanswered questions: the spin rates of black holes, their formation, and evolution over cosmic timescales. From the flaying of stars to the intense gravitational interactions, we explore these great enigmatic giants of our universe.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction: Steve Balbus
1:38 - Theorizing Black Holes & Magneto Rotational Instability
9:25 - General Relativity & Books
14:35 - Solving Einstein’s Equations & Kerr Black Holes
18:22 - Orbits Around Black Holes
24:13 - How Close Can You Orbit a Black Hole?
28:18 - Why Can’t You Orbit Right Above a Black Hole?
34:00 - Why Interstellar’s Gargantuan is Wrong?
36:19 - Black Hole X-Rays
39:42 - Current Unsolved Problems
44:06 - A Cosmic Perspective

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Science meets pop culture on StarTalk! Astrophysicist & Hayden Planetarium director Neil deGrasse Tyson, his comic co-hosts, guest celebrities & scientists discuss astronomy, physics, and everything else about life in the universe. Keep Looking Up!

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[StarTalk]

What do you think is the most significant unanswered question about black holes and their impact on our understanding of the universe?

[StarTalk]

Our camera angles and mic setup might not be perfectly aligned, but just like gravitational lensing, we’re bending the rules to bring you the best black hole content which was captured much more spur of the moment (a fly by if you will)! 🌌 Thanks for sticking with us through these minor distortions. Enjoy these insights from Neil deGrasse Tyson, Gary O’Reilly, Steve Balbus, and Andy Mummery as we dive into the universe’s mysteries! 🔭

[RijuChatterjee]

PEN AND PAPER! Most people have NO IDEA how impressive it is to do SOMETHING NEW with pen and paper. Protect this man!!!

[freelikeyve]

oh the blunt gon’ be lit for this one 😶‍🌫️

[johannaverplank]

I’m old enough to remember learning about black holes in school as an unlikely phenomenon that was purely theoretical. There have been so many exiting discoveries in my lifetime, and I hope to see many more before I go.

[Dylan-jjxc]

I’m watching this to try falling asleep…but it is not boring enough…it’s interesting!

[RickySTT]

Newton absolutely stood on the shoulders of giants. His equations explained Kepler’s laws, and Kepler in turn stood on the shoulders of Galileo, who stood on the shoulders of Copernicus, who stood on the shoulders of Aristarchus.

[maurizioalbera]

If you had read the book of K.T., you'd know that he DID know that the time differences were impossible, but the director needed them that way for the plot.

[johnh]

Hello, old guy here who barely graduated high school. I love the fact that Neil's show brings together people (scientists) who, each in their own field, are trying to find answers that make up a piece of a puzzle that, while we may have a small idea of the basic premise of, no one is quite sure what the end result of the puzzle will look like. In the words of one of my favorite sci-fi characters..."Fascinating!"

[leecarlson]

My husband, for a period of a whole three weeks, was the world expert on black holes, until another doctoral candidate published his thesis. This was back in the last 60s and early 70s.

[avnut]

This was so awesome! I loved hearing from an Oxford Post Doctoral student on gravitational eddies in black holes. I love how you brought Interstellar into it as it is a touchpoint from which we can talk to each other, layman to Physicist.

[danielschenker]

I love the finger snapping transition! @StarTalk Was it planned, or improvised? This was an amazing episode, one of my favourites - and I've been watching since 2009!

[mikedavis]

Gargantua is the name of the super massive black hole in Interstellar. The name of the closest planet o the event horizon of Gargantua is Miller's Planet

[Hammeredprawn]

0:53 😂😂😂😂😂 interpreter ! You may not be Chuck but you certainly are cool af and we love seeing you on the channel. Alex - Brighton. 🎉

[THCza]

Kip Thorne wrote a book called 'The science behind Interstellar '. The book really gets to the SPECIFICS of everything in the movie. I recommend it

[blurandomnumber]

I friggin love listening to how fundamental things we now take for granted got discovered/invented from 1st hand! Thank you for this episode indeed!

[johnwu]

I just wish Neil didn't interrupt the guests so often to explain to Gary. It would have been better to let guests finish their explanations before Neil interjects with his own remarks.

[zeddfish]

hahaha. Neil's gag about "muster the fortitude" at 24:33 was hilarious!

[BlueOceanBelow]

Chuck must've ran into Turbulent Eddy.

[AlexPortRacing]

Actually read the Kip Thorn book and still have it on my bookshelf.