Thanks to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, many of us are familiar with black holes; the dense objects lingering in the galaxy powerful enough to rip apart the very fabric of time and space. It’s difficult to understand the workings of a black hole, even Einstein has doubts about his predictions, but there is another theory that is even more impossible to understand – white holes. Theoretically, a white hole is the exact opposite of a black hole, and while we have yet to discover one, they may be the reason for our planet’s very existence. If you are curious about this concept, here are a few amazing facts about white holes.
Yin and yang
The one thing everyone knows about a black hole is that once you enter, there is no escaping its gravitational pull. They are believed to form from the death of a star. The enormous nuclear reaction and fusion of heavier atoms like iron, silicon, carbon, or helium build-up at the core of a star, creating a density that is hard to fathom. This core eventually becomes so dense, the gravitational pull can’t hold it together, which causes a massive explosion (supernova). The core collapses on itself, leaving behind a small ‘hole’ that can gobble up matter around it. This is known as a singularity – or a black hole. White holes are the reverse of a black hole. Instead of sucking in matter, a white hole is said to be an empty space that pushes matter away from it. To put it simply, if you had to enter a black hole, there is no way to get out. With white holes, it would be impossible to enter because of the force pushing you away from it.
Black holes form white holes
At the moment, there is very little evidence to prove that white holes do exist, but a few years back, black holes were just a theory too. White holes are believed to be formed once a black hole has reached its end. When there is no more matter left to eat around the black hole, it slowly starts to lose more mass than it originally gained. This theory is called a cosmic bounce. Once a star collapses in on itself and reaches its smallest size, it can’t shrink any further, eventually turning into an empty space that emits all the energy and matter swallowed by the black hole outwards.
The Big Bang
One of the most extraordinary theories about how our universe came to be is that it was birthed from a massive cosmic explosion – known as the Big Bang. There have been thousands of observations and theories as to what caused the Big Bang, some believing it was caused by a black hole and others believing that there is no evidence to support the Big Bang theory at all. A study written by renowned scientists explores the idea that a white hole could have been responsible for the Big Bang. In some ways, this could answer a few questions as to how all the matter and energy suddenly appeared in space.
While there is not enough concrete evidence to prove that white holes exist, the mysterious theory behind them plays an important role in how we observe spacetime and black holes. There are many reasons to suspect that they may exist, but a lot more research is needed to prove this theory.
More about Jamie Levi
“I’m a mom who loves a good movie and keeping up with pop culture. I also like to create and share some of the Internet’s most fascinating stories.”