The Black Hole Dream

Year 7000 - Galaxia 1 Black Hole Research Vessel:

The Accident:

The silent darkness permeated everywhere. It pressed in on me from all sides, surrounding and engulfing my spacesuit. The research vessel glided smoothly through it, like a small boat in a dark oppressive sea. Distant stars shined like beacons of hope in a veil of impenetrable shadow.

I quietly drifted next to the large ship. My helmet lights illuminated the rounded silver hull as I slowly moved along. The small gash suddenly came into view. I cautiously peered inside the wreckage. Jagged metal bent inwards revealing severed power cords and damaged electronics. The large black cords dangled silently in the gaping hole. Varying debris hung suspended in the darkness. My heart raced wildly as I took off the propulsion pack. I carefully clipped the manned maneuvering unit to the hull. Using handholds, I tentatively guided myself inside. Pieces of sharp metal floated by, occasionally bumping into my visor. I eventually reached the control panel. I was about to make the repair when something unexpected occurred. As I turned around to face the panel, my arm struck a power cord. The oxygen hissed out of the suit at an alarming rate. I spun around erratically, unable to regain control. My helmet slammed into the wall with full force. Both the internal display and headlamps immediately went out. My vision began to blur as I sucked in the last bits of air.

This is it. I’m done for, I thought to myself as my vision slowly dimmed.

I awoke on a medical bed. A breathing device covered my noise and varying tubes protruded from my arms. I breathed heavily as the device flooded my nose with oxygen. Advanced medical machinery whirred silently next to the bed. Several large tanks containing blue fluid were bolted to the wall. The fluid bubbled quietly inside the clear glass. A tangled mess of power cords and small tubes connected the tanks. The screens beeped occasionally, displaying all kinds of detailed data. On the far wall a small round window revealed the outer void. The room was mostly bare, and the walls were white and plain.

A side door quickly slid open. The ship captain, Chris Huxley, walked into the room. He wore a tight-fitting uniform and shiny black leather shoes. His dark hair was slicked back and neatly combed to one side. Chris walked over next to the bed, sitting down on a plain metal chair.

“You’re lucky to be alive Jonathan. If it wasn’t for the emergency broadcast system in your suit, you wouldn’t be here right now. I was able to lead a rescue team just in the nick of time. I don’t know how we did it. It truly is a miracle that you’re still here.”

Tears formed in my eyes. “You saved my life. Thank you.” My breath wheezed loudly as I said this. My voice crackled softly, a harsh painful whisper.

The captain, not knowing what to say, silently sat in his chair. For some time we both sat there in complete stillness. The only sound in the room emanated from the machinery. It whirred and beeped next to me as blue liquid moved through the clear tubes. I turned over to face him, my hushed speech breaking the silence.

“How did you fix the propulsion system and power unit? The artificial gravity is back.”

“After rescuing you I led a team of specialists to the damaged section of the ship. We had to take off our packs in order to fit inside the hole. We removed the damaged power unit and slid in a new one. My team was able to make it back into the ship way before the boosters fired up. We’re now accelerating though space. And according to the equivalence principle, the laws of physics in a gravitational field are the same as accelerating through outer space. So as long we maintain our acceleration, we will continue to have artificial gravity.”

A thought suddenly popped into my head. “Are we heading back to Moon Base because of the damage? That asteroid impact really did some heavy damage to the rear hull.”

“Good question. I’ve made the decision to keep traveling. We’re already too far from the solar system to turn around. The boosters are working and that’s what matters. The damage didn’t effect any other part of the ship.”

Raw excitement swelled up within me as I thought about where we were headed. Our ship sailed swiftly through the perpetual night, silently approaching a supermassive black hole.

The Observatory and Maven 6000:

I eventually was able to get out of the bed. With some help I hobbled through the long white corridors. I changed into my uniform in a cramped room, and then made my way to the observatory tower. The polished steps led into a large glass semicircle dome. The glass was strikingly clear and perfectly smooth. In the middle of the room was a truly massive telescope. Rubber hoses were fastened to its sides. They ran across the floor into an aluminum metal box. Intricate metal valves attached the hoses to the front and sides of the machine. The floor was a jumble of these black hoses. I carefully stepped over them, approaching Chris Huxley. His small figure was truly tiny next to the telescope. Two of my other colleagues stood on the platform underneath the telescope.

We talked for a short time, and then made our way to the observation area. Simple aluminum steps led up to the bare metal platform. We first observed the gravitational lensing of a galaxy behind the black hole. The gravitational lensing resulted in us seeing multiple distorted images of the source. This occurred because the source light was being curved by the black hole. Light gets distorted as a consequence of gravitational lensing. The black hole’s huge mass, and therefore large amount of gravity, significantly curved the galaxy’s light. For some time we observed this phenomenon.

We later remotely connected to the Maven 6000 satellite. This nuclear powered satellite was thousands of years old. It was one of the most advanced pieces of machinery ever made. Maven 6000 was also the only satellite to ever get relatively close to a black hole. We first measured the effects of gravitational time dilation. Gravitational time dilation causes clocks deeper in gravitational fields to tick slower. This is due to the fact that they are experiencing stronger gravity. Clocks farther away from large masses tick faster. These clocks are experiencing less gravity. To sum it up, time runs slower wherever gravity is the strongest. This is due to the fact that gravity curves space-time. We compared our current time on Galaxia 1 to that of the satellite. Because it was significantly closer to the supermassive back hole, Maven 6000 experienced slower time.

The Cryo Chamber:

The chamber was dimly illuminated by blue fluorescent lighting. Shiny metallic cylindrical tubes were bolted to each wall. Their lids lay open as they waited to be occupied. A light green liquid bubbled inside each cylinder. The room was windowless and small.

A few Earth days after our scientific observations we began preparing to go into cryo sleep. At 0300 we were required to meet in the cryo chamber.

The whole crew gathered around captain Chris Huxley. We all adorned simple white suits. The suits were very skin-tight, possessing a shiny polished hue.

“Everybody listen up! As you all know we still have several million light years to travel. For most of you this will be the first time you use a cryo tube. It is crucial that you follow my instructions exactly.”

The captain eventually finished his orders. We each silently walked over to our assigned cryo tubes. Cautiously I climbed into the liquid, a chill coming over my body. I then clicked the breathing helmet into the suit, laying my head back. The overhead panel gradually lowered, eventually clicking loudly into place. I was immediately immersed in pure darkness. Within seconds I felt a haze coming over me. My vision dimmed until I slipped off into a deep slumber.

The Realization:

I awoke with a jolt. The panel above me was wide open. An alarm buzzed loudly in the chamber, drowning out all other sound. A thick mist seeped in from a side vent. I could barely see a foot in front of me. Something wasn’t right. I attempted to get out, but fell clumsily onto the metal floor. I crawled my way over to a neighboring cryo tube, peering inside. The unmoving face of a crew member blankly stared up at me. I fell back in horror and shock. They were all dead. The whole crew. This realization washed over me like a tidal wave. Breathing heavily, I shakily stood up and staggered over to the door. I finally found the lever, and began to yank it frantically.

“The cryo chamber is compromised. The cryo chamber is compromised,” said the automated system.

I ripped a fire extinguisher off the wall, frantically slamming it against the lever. The handle snapped loudly and fell to the ground with a clang. I threw open the thick metal door, stumbling out into a corridor. The pitch black hallway was illuminated by blinking red alarm lights. My ears rang from the deafening sound. I felt my way to the bridge, stumbling forward on weak legs. What I discovered next frightened me to the core. The computer screens displayed it plainly. Galaxia 1 was approaching a supermassive black hole. It was still a very long ways away, but the gravity continued to slowly drag it closer. The gravity exerted by the black hole can be explained by the theory of general relativity. According to this theory, spacetime curves around masses. Objects with more mass cause spacetime to curve more around them. They therefore form deeper gravitational wells, and are harder to escape from. Objects with less mass form smaller gravitational wells, and are much easier to escape from. In this particular situation the gravitational well was exceedingly deep. This is due to the fact that this supermassive black hole possessed a huge amount of mass. If I didn’t do something soon, there might be no escape.

I staggered painfully over to an escape pod. Thrusting open the metal cargo door, I entered into the small space. After closing the door behind me, I began calibrating the controls.

“Please enter the cryo tube. This pod will exceed the speed of light. Please enter the cryo tube. This pod will exceed the speed of light.”

Wait! That’s definitely not right! Nothing can exceed the speed of light! According to general relativity the speed of light is the same no matter what reference frame you’re in! The theory of general relativity says that the speed of light is measured to be the same for all observers in a vacuum! According to this theory, distances, times and directions are relative! Whether two events are simultaneous is relative! But the speed of light is definitely not relative! So how the heck is this happening? Something’s not right!

I immediately awoke at my desk, startled awake by the sharp sound of a wooden ruler. The whole class stared at me. The professor, Chris Huxley, stood directly in front of my desk.

“So Jonathan, what is the Chandrasekhar Limit?”

“The Chandrasekhar limit is the maximum mass of a white dwarf that can be held up by electron degeneracy pressure. The pressure that supports a white dwarf is a quantum mechanical effect. It increases with density, forcing electrons into states of higher energy. The more massive the white dwarf, the stronger the gravity. And in order support against that gravity you need more pressure. Higher density leads to higher pressures in the white dwarf. There is a limit to how dense white dwarves can be. At this point the electron velocities reach the speed of light. This limit is the Chandrasekhar Limit. When a White Dwarf reaches this limit it explodes in a Type 1a Supernova.”

“Excellent answer Jonathan. I’d really appreciate it though if you’d stop falling asleep in my class! Thank you for your cooperation!”

The whole class laughed, and I quietly shrunk in embarrassment. For the rest of class I silently sat in my chair, deeply contemplating the insane dream I just had.