What Is A White Hole?

What Is A White Hole? The universe is definitely filled with a lot of strange objects, but what if the strangest and most mysterious object that we know has another level of strangeness we haven't come across yet? Find out what it is in today’s episode!

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We have explained white holes.
When I was young, I came across Bertrand Russell’s floating teapot in the solar system, you know, the one that you can and can’t say doesn’t exist? Back at that time, I certainly thought “Wow, the universe couldn’t get any stranger than this!”

But as I grew older, I’ve stumbled upon a huge number of other things that are definitely stranger than a floating teapo: There are binary stars consuming one another, magnetars, what strange force pulls objects towards the center of the Laniakea supercluster, and many more. At this point, I thought “okay, a teapot floating about just way past Pluto seems more regular”. Anybody suddenly thirsty for some tea?

Okay, enough about kitchenware free falling several million kilometers from us. Today, I want to talk about another mysterious cousin of the planets and the stars; today, let’s talk about white holes.

Now, I get it. I know that name sounds utterly unrealistic and totally made up, but I swear this is going to be worth your time.

According to Kant, one of the most geniuses to ever exist, we can only understand something in reference to another thing that we already know. For instance, to be able to describe what a dragon is, early humans have used reptiles as a reference.

And although the result is a purely fictional creature in today’s standards, it certainly has generated a lot of crazy tales and marvelous stories.

So, borrowing from that notion, to help us understand exactly what white holes are, let’s compare it in contrast with the thing that is a complement of its nature: Let’s compare it with black holes, and see what how they are similar and different.

Okay, now that we have a strategy in place. Why don’t we start with the simplest definition that we can say about a white hole.

In an extremely rudimentary sense, a white hole is..well, the opposite of a black hole. Like, totally literally. Let me explain.

If you can recall one of the simplest definitions of a black hole that one can find is that it is an object in space wherein nothing -- not even light -- can escape. Even information, the only thing that people thought before would be impossible to break apart, would also break inside a black hole. Can you even begin to imagine how strong that is? Well if you can’t, we made an entire feature about black holes so why don’t you go check that out after watching this video?

So okay, if that’s a black hole, what’s a white hole then? An object or region in space where everything can escape? If that’s your answer, that’s very close but not quite. Good analogy, though!

Think of watching an open manhole in the road where water falls in. When the current is strong, you can place a small object on it and it gets sucked automatically, right? This is like the black hole. Now, imagine going underground and you’re now looking straight up on the manhole where water is pouring onto you. It will feel like things will just come into it with no obstruction at all. This is how you can think of how a white hole works.

In a basic sense, a white hole is a region in space that nothing can ever enter from the outside. The only thing that’s certain is that things -- matter and light -- can only come out of it. Imagine how bright white holes could be! And the level of radiation here could imply that calling it a “white hole” could be a severe oversimplification.

Another thing that these two universal twins have in common is that they both have their own event horizon, do you remember what that is?

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Credits: Ron Miller
Credits: Nasa/Shutterstock/Storyblocks/Elon Musk/SpaceX/ESA/ESO
Credits: Flickr

Video Chapters:
00:00 Introduction
02:16 White Hole vs. Black Hole
03:53 Event Horizon
04:39 Singularity

#insanecuriosity #whitehole #blackhole

[goji]

well when i was in high school, there was this girl that lived down the block

[DavidCheok]

Would it be possible for a white hole to be a supermassive black hole finally reaching a tipping point by the intense energy finally overcoming the gravity it exerts on itself and its surrounding?

[hinderikusbos]

I do not understand, the same way i did not understood a black hole 20 years ago, and spacetime 10 years ago
Many things tot learn from the universe, i am glad we have teachers to learn from
Thank you

[MG-erdm]

"What's a white hole?" I really have no idea but l get the feeling that's all about to change real soon! 😃

[Katzztar]

I was in jr high school in the mid 80s and I loved astronomy. I would read science mags a lot. In science class we were covering Space and I asked the teacher about some subjects that scientists were theroizing about: Brown dwarfs, Black holes and White holes. She laughed at me ... nearly 40 yrs later and I got to wonder if she lived long enough to see that Black Holes are not wild ideas anymore. I'm getting the last laugh.

[timseestedt]

I found this to very interesting, however still confusing when you keep talking around in circles, but not saying the same thing. So what is a white hole ??

[peterpalumbo]

Weather what was observed is a white hole would likely depend on how energetic it was. If it was finite it likely was not a white hole, if it was virtually infinite it could have been a white hole and the birth of another universe. This would give credence to Wittens landscape and a multiverse. The fact it appeared at the 'end' of our universe or the cosmic horizon would reinforce this. In any case a gamma ray burst is a good place to start looking for a white hole and new universe since it is the first stage of the formation of a universe.

[model]

I was under the impression that a white hole was the Big Bang and caused by a black hole in a parallel universe

[hookersterminaltackle]

Wouldnt the event horizon be different for objects that not only vary in mass but capable power to try to escape? Like a rocket alone compared to the falcon?

[skullyser]

Fly me to the moon .. let me play amongst the stars ... Let me see what life is like on Jupiter and Mars 😁

[nct]

My first idea was: could the Big Band have been a humongous white hole? how can a white hole come into existence? a very perplexing concept!

[phantomedgedamascus]

i think white hole maybe are "Torn" in space item... they leaking so much energy means there is a source for that

[Declan-pgcg]

Too late, the only white hole was what we call the big bang. It meets all the criteria and then some. 🎶Break on through to the other side 🎶.

[tkfg]

Was the Big Bang a type of white hole?

[splace]

Are Black holes really what we call worm holes? black holes suck everything in, where dose it all go? Bet white holes are the other end of black holes. Or think of it as water going down the drain and goes into a sewer pipe comes out in a pressing plant.

[cmcintire]

I cant believe that just a few months after this video a white hole was discovered!!!!😃🤭

[ozzymandius]

I'd say it's a nonphysical solution to the GR equations, just like the infinite series of causally disconnected universes in the Kerr solution of GR.

[geoffrey]

If time is flowing backwards is a reverse universe and where would the energy come from will there be life and in what form of life

[MrBorceivanovski]

The Cosmos is the Great Artistic Achievement of The Creator #

[Wraith-Knight]

FYI that was a wyvern not really as such a dragon at least in more modern times ( dont feel bad game of thrones CGI got it wrong too)