You're Probably Wrong About Black Holes

There are many mysteries and misconceptions surrounding black holes. In this video I talk about what scientists currently know about black holes, what we don't know, and what is likely untrue.

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:52 What is a black hole?
04:08 Growing black holes
05:00 Black holes don't eat everything
08:05 Images of the accretion disc
10:05 What do black holes actually look like?
11:22 Black hole time travel
12:26 Can planets orbit black holes?
14:16 The event horizon... and beyond?
19:25 Black hole hypotheses
20:22 Hawking radiation and the end of black holes
21:23 Final thoughts

More info & reading:
'Black Hole Truths, Myths, and Mysteries'
'Black holes aren't evil cosmic vacuum cleaners, and other misconceptions'
'14 Things That Happen In "Interstellar", Ranked By Scientific Accuracy'
'Could a habitable planet orbit a black hole?'
Wikipedia article on black holes:

Music used:
Neon.Deflector – Pulsar

Support the channel on Patreon

[Eliphas_Leary]

Now that's how science communication is supposed to be like. Subbed.

[derautomatt]

Immensely good content. You're definitely one of my favorite youtubers. Keep it up!

[rickhayes]

Thank you for explaining this so eloquently and elegantly!

[westy-foek]

Again, a fantastic easily understandable video, i hold my hat of to you! Brilliant work im loving your stuff!😊

[gtcollection]

I've been looking for someone just like yourself for my entire lifetime. Perhaps this is what it is, I've crossed a blackhole while dialing in your channel. You're one of them, a miracle of life, thank you so much for sharing. Subscribed xo

[darnellarford]

I’ve been watching recaps of Interstellar lately and wondering about how realistic the black hole sequence is. This video is very timely for me. Thanks as always for making your excellent videos. 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[NA-hing]

great explaination and awesome use of graphics too! :)

[flinxsl]

I'm loving going through your old videos after finding your channel. You have a good talent for explaining complex things succinctly

[westy-foek]

Usually many of the other similar youtube videos have this stupid annoying voice over explaining it, its refreshing to hear a real human person talking on their videos, you are such a geek, as are we haha! Which is why we all love your videos! and i can clearly tell u put your work in even tho your not qualified in certain feilds, which u admit, youre very real, and u have that vibe that makes me want to watch all your content, and learn, from your perspective, even tho i always do my own research on whatever im interested in, but fair play, huge respect to you for your time, and all the effort you put in! Big love from london, keep it up!

[Nemoticon]

I've been reading lately about a recent theory (or a recent paper of a pre-existing theory) that our universe is in fact inside a black hole. Suggesting that much of the mathematics behind the big bang of the universe has an uncanny similarity/correlation to the birth black holes and that we may be living in a reality of black holes within universes within black holes, etc. I don't know how much support this idea has throughout the wider scientific community, but it's a fun thing to read about all the same.

[penelopepenelope_]

Incredible! Super well written video on something so trippy! Love it

[eamonia]

Dude, you really have a way with explaining things. This is only the second video I've seen of yours and so far I have a fairly concise understanding of the subject matter but you have a way of making things so easy to understand that it makes me wish I initiated learned it from you. I can't wait to binge the rest of your channel, I'm *so* happy I came across it and congratulate you on your inevitable success. I'll be sure to like and comment and all that stuff because you really do deserve the numbers you're bound to get.

[KetilDuna]

I really enjoy your talks. Thank you for sharing.

[landroveraddict]

Hi I'm a new sub working through your videos. Is the Schwarzschild radius the same as the event horizon?

[AegonTheHammer]

I love your videos. You have such and great and unique way of communicating fascinating topics!

[MedocMel-eqcr]

This Lady is good! I would like to know a bit about her credentials, &c., to place her into context. Her timing, facial expressions, diction, voice, the entire "Actor" package is rarely found in a working scientist. (I have a little experience in this area.) The writers, directors, entire production is... more than casually professional. Of course I am a bit of a sucker for Girls With Glasses.

But the Lady has me.

[matthiasbroek]

If time almost slows down when approaching a black hole (from an outside observer), how can we detect gravitational waves coming from the merger of two black holes? Should these waves stop right be for the total merger?

[roeva]

Admittedly, apart from fascinating me to no end, they absolutely creep me out like no other celestial object that we're aware of, especially the supermassive and/or hypermassive variants. And coming in at number 2 of the most creepy objects in existence, for me at least, has got to be magnetars.

[RanDan]

Another very cool video. Considering black holes have been keeping galaxies stable for billions of years and nothing has really been observed disappearing, the stars orbiting Sagittarius A star seen to orbit very close but there seems no risk of any being eaten. Is it possible as the mass in accretion disc approaches light speed, time dilation might not allow any action to occur. Are galactic jets the effect of mass being destroyed by extreme forces and reverted to energy.
I've tried to imagine space time bending (like the bent sheet analogy) but my brain will just not convert it to 3d. Interstellar does better but imagine it from every axis - meltdown, lol.
Stay well and best wishes x

[sevenstars]

Well presented and researched, as always and I love the graphics in your videos. I also have to say THANK YOU for not saying "nothing, not even light" That has always really irritated me. After saying "nothing" anything else is redundant and I can't imagine anyone thinking, "well, surely light can escape. Along with one sock out of a pair. And a cat. A cat could also escape I'm sure. They obey different laws of physics than the rest of us."
As always looking forward to your next video!