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Jan 17, 2011

This Is What It's Like to Stare a Black Hole In the Eye

If you ever got close enough to a black hole to get this view, you'd be on your way to anextremely horrible death and possibly other universes. So, uh, thank goodness for the magic of the internet?

What you're looking at is a computer-generated image, posted by NASA today, that shows the visual distortions that take place as light bends towards the immensely strong gravitational forces:

Every star in the normal frame has at least two bright images—one on each side of the black hole. Near the black hole, you can see the whole sky - light from every direction is bent around and comes back to you.

So that's what it's like to stare a black hole dead in the eye. It's sure less scarier than falling into one.
 
 

14 comments:

mrecan said...

whoaah thats awesome

Engelhart said...

Oh, the wonders of space.

Poetry of the Day said...

i like to think of going into the blackhole kinda like it was in "sunshine"

miecak said...

Awesome stuff.

Vapor said...

I wonder how long it takes before some photoshops the goatse guy in there.

Josh Tree said...

That is cool as hell

BTN Hip Hop said...

so awesome, so technically we arnt seeing the blackhole

watchman said...

freaky stuff man

Unknown said...

arghhhhhhh....

Heathbb said...

thats awesome, i heard brian peppers likes black holes

Unknown said...

Nice find

Pawawanpi said...

That is so amazing and lovely.

SuciƓ Sanchez said...

Galactic goatse.

MRanthrope said...

think i might have to see this upclose just to make sure....ha