Celestia Forums

Sorry, but I really am trying to understand some of the physics and
science behind my favorite cosmological excursions via Celestia
here.

Could someone please explain to me (hopefully in plain English) how
it is that some emissions from Super-Massive Black Holes (Primarily
X-Ray emissions) can escape and be expelled and observed escaping
from these objects when the same sort of energy (light) cannot
escape? I just do not understand this situation. If light cannot
escape from a black hole, then how can x-rays emissions be ejected?
Are these two forms of radiation that much different? If so, what's
the difference which allows this situation?

Really curious.

Thanks, Brain-Dead Bob

Bob,

The escaping radiation and jets are not coming from the black hole itself, but rather from the interactions within the debris falling into it. Current theoretical models suggest that rotating and non-spherical black holes might generate radiation, too.

Selden's correct. Here's an illustration:


The matter, right before it falls in, is moving extremely fast, and generates those X-rays, which are emitted along the black hole's magnetic poles. The magnetic field lines carry those rays away from the black hole.

These things really are fascinating...

Thanks VERY much for the enlightenment here Selden, Hungry.
Nice to hear an explanation I can understand. I did some searches,
but didn't see anything that made sense. I did see the term
"interaction" in a few places, but it wasn't clear (at least to me) that
the x-rays were being emitted from the interactions of the matter
that was about to enter the black holes.

Nor did I understand the magnetic field lines, so thanks again.

Much appreciated.

selden wrote:...
Current theoretical models suggest that rotating and non-spherical black holes might generate radiation, too.

Indeed, the so-called Hawking radiation involving all sorts of elementary particles. Stephen H. has proposed this quite a long time ago already.

F.