The Black Hole “Collision”
You might have heard a lot about the two supermassive black holes that are set to collide in a few thousand years. There are a lot of theories, opinions and aberrations going around on the internet, so we want to make sure you know what is right about the black hole “collision” that is going to occur after so many years that mankind might not even be around to witness.
First of all, the black holes are not going to collide, but “touch” each other. They are in the Virgo constellation, some 3.5 billion light years away, so even if they did touch in a few years, it would take forever for us to actually feel something here on Earth. The distance between the two black holes is a shot one light-week, but even if they are so close to each other, it will still take a lot of time for them to unite.
Secondly, the event is supposed to take place in approximately 100,000 years. Not 10,000, not 1,000,000 as some other sources indicate. Specialists have calculated that the two space giants will embrace each other in around 100,000 years, unleashing a death wave throughout time and space and that might test the very fabric of the Universe.
Lastly, we know for certain that black holes grow in time based on how much “food source” there is around them. If there are stars and planets within its reach, it is going to feed on them and grow even bigger. Black holes that have nothing to eat around them are usually believed to either stagnate or shrink to a smaller size.
If we consider this last piece of information, we have to admit that we have three variables to think about: the trajectory that each black hole follows and the amount of food source each black hole has. Even if both black holes were set to “collide” with each other, if they run out of food, it might take more years for them to unite. At the same time, if they have a lot of food source, they can unite even faster.
There are many other matters that scientists are speculating about, but these are the things that you should be familiar with in case you want to know more about the subject. Black holes are a fascinating subject for the scientific community and they can be interesting for amateurs as well, but it is important that you get your info right and not linger in information that is not well explained or misguided completely.
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