Modern Astronomy Frontier Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Modern Astronomy Frontier - Research Paper Example What exactly makes black holes so captivating is the effects they seem to have on their surroundings, and yet their ability to remain in obscurity, literally. Before embarking on the actual topic of black holes, this paper will discuss the background research completed on black holes, the observations on them, the results of those observations, and the mysteries that still exist about them. First of all, black holes possess an amazing heritage. The first record of the black hole theory begins back in the early 1780s (DeBenedictis 4). However, during the nineteenth century, the idea that light could be affected by gravity was thought to be false, and therefore black holes, which result from gravitational pulls that suck away light, would not be possible. During the early twentieth century, with the discovery of the theory of relativity by Albert Einstein and discoveries by astrophysicist Karl Schwarzschild, belief in the theory of black holes returned (DeBenedictis 4). Further research took place once the technology advanced enough to produce models and test the various theories and equations that were used. Several types of research were employed to test the theory of black holes. One type of research, labeled as classical black hole research, begins with the theory of general relativity (DeBenedictis 14). Classical theory believes that â€Å"black holes can only absorb and not emit particles† (Hawking 199). Therefore, whatever information â€Å"falls into a black hole is forever lost† (Carr 22). Within classical black hole research, several different equations determine the spin, velocity and gravitational field surrounding the black hole and the particles that compose the black hole (DeBenedictis 22). Classical research deals with the geometry of black holes, specifically at the â€Å"event horizon† (Anderson 1). The event horizon constitutes â€Å"the boundary around a black  hole on and within which no matter or